Soccer Dad

Dumb republican luck

An editorial in the Washington Post encouraging Gov Ehrlich of Maryland to restore funding for a health program starts with:

MARYLAND GOV. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) claimed credit in July for the state's revenue windfall of $1 billion for the fiscal year that ended June 30. It reflected "some real talent running state government," he observed on Baltimore radio -- and never mind that 40 or more other governors reaped more revenue than projected, thanks to national trends. For now, at least, Maryland's revenue picture is still good, with more than $600 million unspent. That's no call for a spending spree, with state officials still projecting a $1 billion deficit by fiscal 2008.

The next day an editorial on government spending by the state of Virginia begins:

VIRGINIA'S FINANCES, on life support four years ago, have staged a robust recovery thanks to smart leadership in Richmond and a stronger national and regional economy. A key question in the race for governor is which candidate would be the better steward of the state's hard-won financial health.

So when a Republican's in charge "...national trends" alone seem to account for fiscal health. When a Democrat's in charge though there's an element of "...smart leadership..." too.

Posted by SoccerDad at October 12, 2005 5:28 AM