Spinmeister
The Herald-Leader has this story on Steve Beshear pushing casino gambling, Beshear has new spin on casinos.
FRANKFORT --
Casino gambling legislation that Gov. Steve Beshear plans to release next week could produce several hundred million dollars in licensing fees that would boost his anemic two-year budget proposal, the governor said Friday.
He declined to provide details, but said "the license fees that can be produced by this are significant."……
Beshear's declaration reverses his prior position against counting on casino money to bolster the budget that takes effect July 1.
"It's not financially responsible for me to do," he told the Herald-Leader on Jan. 13. "I'm going to go ahead and propose my budget based on what these (General Fund revenue) projections really are."
New spin my Aunt Fannie.
This is the same fiscally irresponsible crap dished by the Fletcher administration in a new wrapper.
Beshear acknowledged that the spending of one-time money from license fees could worsen the "structural balance" of the budget.
For several years, lawmakers have been spending more money than the state's General Fund has produced. It's called a structural imbalance -- lawmakers use money that won't be available in the future to pay for programs that will continue to cost money.
Folks this is like having maxed out a dozen credit cards and getting a new one to solve the problem.
What is it going to take for these guys to get some guts and do the right thing?
You cannot provide revenue sources for long term commitments with one time band-aid answers like casino gambling. It doesn’t work. The credit card eventually maxes out and someone has to pay it off.
This is not leadership. Steve Beshear is paying off political debts by providing a simple, easy to understand wrong answer to a complicated problem. Steve Beshear was right the first time, this is irresponsible.
There are practical alternatives:
HB 443 (BR 838) - D. Watkins, M. Marzian, T. Burch, J. Crenshaw, J. Jenkins, R. Meeks, C. Miller, H. Moberly Jr, D. Owens, R. Palumbo, C. Rollins II, K. Stein, J. Wayne, S. Westrom
AN ACT relating to a cigarette surtax and declaring an emergency. Amend various sections of KRS Chapter 138 to create an additional cigarette surtax of 70 cents; increase the tax rates for other tobacco products and snuff; impose a floor stock tax as of July 31, 2008; EMERGENCY.
Feb 1-introduced in House
Feb 4-to Appropriations & Revenue (H)
HB 262/FN (BR 911) - J. Wayne, J. Jenkins, L. Belcher, T. Burch, L. Combs, K. Hall, R. Henderson, M. Marzian, R. Meeks, T. Riner, K. Stein
AN ACT relating to taxation. Amend KRS 141.020 to increase the tax rate on income over $75,000; amend KRS 141.066 to establish a refundable earned income tax credit at 15 percent of the federal credit; amend KRS 140.130 to decouple from the federal estate tax phase-out; amend KRS 139.120, 139.200, and 139.480 to include a list of selected services as subject to sales tax; amend KRS 141.0205 to recognize changes to income tax credits; make income tax provisions effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2008, make estate tax provisions effective for deaths on or after August 1, 2008; make sales tax provisions effective for billings on or after August 1, 2008.
Jan 10-introduced in House
Jan 15-to Appropriations & Revenue (H)
This is a financial management problem Beshear and most of the General Assembly, Republicans and Democrats, refuse to address. This is a financial management problem that will eventually be solved on the backs of Kentucky taxpayers.
The current actions of the Governor and General Assemby are at best irresponsible.
Labels: Beshear, Gambling, General Assembly, Tax
posted by Ralph Long @ 8:50 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Kudos Mr. Long. A lot of fat cats have a lot at stake with the casino dream, but that's toast and it's time this administration brings out Plan B. A lot of stupid foul-ups have already been made by Beshear's team and insulting people further with this casino cram down might make Steve a one termer.
This is nothing short of a "bait and hook," devised plan by Beshear and Co. 15 minutes into his first day on the job, surprise, surprise, we have a horrific budget deficit. Hmmmm, how to fix this? Ah-ha! Force people into thinking that casino gaming is the resolution to the horrible mess we've inherited from the even-more horrible Fletcher administration. How do we do this? We have a "talk with the people," in the form of a state of the state address. We spell out how deeply in debt we are, what programs will be cut, how that will affect our future growth, etc. then the bright bulb comes on......CASINO GAMING TO THE RESCUE!! But, as Govenor, we have to maintain the demeanor and the ah-shucks attitude that this may not be the best way to resolve the issue, but it's a start.
Let's get real. I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, but I can spot a smoke and mirror game 5 miles away from my front door to the Governor's. I have to believe there are better answers out there, such as a cigarette tax increase. Yes, I smoked for too many decades. No, I don't smoke now, so it may be easy for me to beat that drum. But, in my recent travels through New England and California, a pack of cigarettes is a minimum of $6.00 and a carton sells for at least $55. At least half of that money is cigarette tax money.
I have an idea as to why the Governor continues to dodge the cigarette tax issue. He's fearful it'll WORK! His argument for casino gaming will then lose it's steam and clout, making it much more difficult for passage.
Now, THAT makes sense to me.
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