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Lawmakers face difficult choices | hattiesburgamerican.com | Hattiesburg American
Every year the Mississippi Legislature holds a joint session to hear the governor present his state of the state address. The governor will talk about the state's accomplishments and the challenges it faces.
When Gov. Haley Barbour delivers his annual speech Tuesday night, he'll again talk about some of the positive aspects of the state. But much of his speech will focus on the state budget. The picture he paints won't be a work of art.
Barbour said last week that there won't be any surprises. He has already outlined for the Legislature what he thinks it should do to get us through this nightmare.
The lawmakers can look at Barbour's executive budget for an in-depth view of how he thinks the state can meet the budget challenges it faces. (You can read the executive budget proposal online at Governor Haley Barbour.)
The governor has already trimmed more than $200 million from the budget and, because anemic revenue collections are expected to continue, more cuts are likely on the way.
The governor has offered some dramatic changes in the way Mississippi government operates. Proposals to merge some universities and consolidate school districts have gotten most of the attention from the media.
But the governor's proposals go deeper than that. They include:
Merging various state agencies.
Giving each agency director more control over his or her department.
Making changes to the state retirement system.
Delaying automatic teacher raises.
Moving the School for the Blind and Deaf to another site so the state can take better advantage of the prime real estate on which the school is located.
Consolidating back room operations of community colleges and eliminating some satellite campuses.
More proposals can be found in his executive budget.
The lawmakers generally know what the governor is going to say. We hope they will listen and at least consider his proposals.
If they have better ideas, let's hear them.
If this state ever needed leadership and statesmanship, it's now. This is not the time to be concerned about party affiliation or what's best for various special interest groups. It's time to put the needs of the state over the needs of the individual.
As we have said before, basic changes that have been needed for a long time are direly needed now. Even if some of the proposals the governor has offered are adopted, the savings may not be felt for a while. But they are steps in the right direction.
"We must all accept that for a few years, it cannot be business as usual with any budget," Barbour told lawmakers in his executive budget proposal.
Now the ball is in the lawmakers' court. The question is, can they make the difficult decisions?
Every year the Mississippi Legislature holds a joint session to hear the governor present his state of the state address. The governor will talk about the state's accomplishments and the challenges it faces.
When Gov. Haley Barbour delivers his annual speech Tuesday night, he'll again talk about some of the positive aspects of the state. But much of his speech will focus on the state budget. The picture he paints won't be a work of art.
Barbour said last week that there won't be any surprises. He has already outlined for the Legislature what he thinks it should do to get us through this nightmare.
The lawmakers can look at Barbour's executive budget for an in-depth view of how he thinks the state can meet the budget challenges it faces. (You can read the executive budget proposal online at Governor Haley Barbour.)
The governor has already trimmed more than $200 million from the budget and, because anemic revenue collections are expected to continue, more cuts are likely on the way.
The governor has offered some dramatic changes in the way Mississippi government operates. Proposals to merge some universities and consolidate school districts have gotten most of the attention from the media.
But the governor's proposals go deeper than that. They include:
Merging various state agencies.
Giving each agency director more control over his or her department.
Making changes to the state retirement system.
Delaying automatic teacher raises.
Moving the School for the Blind and Deaf to another site so the state can take better advantage of the prime real estate on which the school is located.
Consolidating back room operations of community colleges and eliminating some satellite campuses.
More proposals can be found in his executive budget.
The lawmakers generally know what the governor is going to say. We hope they will listen and at least consider his proposals.
If they have better ideas, let's hear them.
If this state ever needed leadership and statesmanship, it's now. This is not the time to be concerned about party affiliation or what's best for various special interest groups. It's time to put the needs of the state over the needs of the individual.
As we have said before, basic changes that have been needed for a long time are direly needed now. Even if some of the proposals the governor has offered are adopted, the savings may not be felt for a while. But they are steps in the right direction.
"We must all accept that for a few years, it cannot be business as usual with any budget," Barbour told lawmakers in his executive budget proposal.
Now the ball is in the lawmakers' court. The question is, can they make the difficult decisions?