KFTC Members Speak Out Against Irresponsible and Inadequate Budget

KFTC members are speaking out against the budget that passed through the Senate and the House, and that now goes to the governor for approval or a veto (or line-item veto).

Steve Boyce, of Madison County, said that the budget sends a message about the legislature, and about the direction that lawmakers are taking the state.  "With this budget," Steve said, "the legislature is saying, 'We can’t get ourselves together enough to say that education, the quality of life, and health care are priorities.'"

"I heard one of the legislators on the radio saying that there’s pain in this budget but that in these hard times, with the national economic downturn, this budget is the best we can do, blaming the economy for the entirety of our revenue problem. That’s a cop-out. This budget isn’t just hard times.  If that legislator doesn’t know that, he is uninformed at a dangerous level.  Kentucky’s structural imbalance is well documented.  We’ve been aware, and many legislators have been aware, that this is the result of a long-term structural deficit and the legislature’s lack of will to fix the problem.  At some point, that structural deficit has to be dealt with.â€

K. A. Owens, a Jefferson County member and KFTC's vice-chair, called this budget "the sad result of a completely failed process."  "When [Rep. Harry] Moberly calls it 'a diabolical deal,' he’s on the right track.  The budget is a tragedy.  Now is the time for us to plan,rebuild and reorganize.  We need to get better legislators.  The fact that some of the good legislators, like Rep. [Jim] Wayne and Rep. Moberly, worked hard to support a budget that would have been effective in putting the state on a sound footing gives us hope for the future. The fact that some of the good legislators voted against the bad budget, shows that people of character still exist in Frankfort.   We need to get more legislators of good character in Frankfort to support them.  KFTC and allies have more work to do.  We need more good legislators in Frankfort.  The results of the 2008 budget process demand new, better people in Frankfort."

It is unclear if the governor will veto or sign the budget into law, or let it become law without his signature. He can also veto individual line items. Gov. Beshear has acknowledged that the budget will cause pain, although it appropriates more for health care, environmental protection and education than his original budget proposal.