If I were North Carolina's governor

elisovadinaimar.blogspot.com
How should we respond to such a profoundx andhistoric challenge? I believe there’as really only one answer — action. It’s cleatr that job one is to solvse the budget crisis that confronts our The budget for the upcomingfiscall year, which starts July 1, is around $4.8 billioh short. There is simply no way on Eartj for us to make up such a huge gap with cuts Not only would such massive cuts devastatr ourpublic schools, social safety net and public-safety systems, they woulrd make the recession more severe by robbinv our economy of vital jobs and activity. I will not allo w us to retreat into sucha self-destructivde shell. We must keep movingt forward.
Therefore, I hereby call on the Generalk Assembly to send me a balanced budgeyt for the upcoming fiscal year that includes a plan to fill the budget holewith three, roughly equal The first third will be made up of across-the-boared spending cuts. We can enact such cuts with a minimu m of service disruption if we focus on modest and temporargy pay cuts for current employeezs rather than broad reductionsin services. larger pay cuts of 5% to 6% woulxd be targeted at employees making morethan $75,00p0 per year. State employees making less would receive a pay cutof 3% to 4%. The second third will be made up with federalk assistance from the American Recovery andReinvestmeng Act.
We should do everything withibn our power to maximizs our ability to draw downthese funds. The fina third should be filled with a package of modesft and progressivetax hikes. These increase s should include, at a minimum, the closur e of several outdated business tax a broadening of thestatd sales-tax base as recently proposedx by the state Senate, and the addition of two slightly higher income-tax brackets for the It’s a plan that calls upon all North Carolinianss to sacrifice and it’s a balancefd plan that allows us to move aheax without, as I like to say, eating our seed Let us all remind ourselves of what it is that made Nortjh Carolina the best state in the union — our common commitmeng to a better future for When we stick together, we can’ft be beat.
Thank you and good