One of the great things about having so many candidates contesting seats in the legislature this year is that we are finally having an open, honest conversation about the direction of our state government. I believe one of the most important questions we face is the direction of government directed spending of taxpayer’s money. Our current course is simply unsustainable.

We don’t have a revenue crisis. State government has a spending crisis. The legislature created this crisis over a number of years and we won’t be able to solve it overnight. Both the House and Senate GOP Caucus have offered plans for at least the last two sessions which would have reduced state spending by at least $1 billion a year. Unfortunately even that isn’t enough. Last year the legislature raised taxes by nearly $2 billion but we are still facing a $2.5 billion deficit next year.

As a fiscal conservative and one of the original 10 signers of the the citizen’s petition to roll back the sales tax to 3%, I am often challenged by defenders of the status quo with the question, “What would you cut?” The question is disingenuous. It is nearly impossible to say exactly what I would cut as our state government doesn’t tell us exactly what they spend our money on. However, I can tell you precisely the process I would use to determine what spending should be cut.

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