View the Budget process

I just posted a link on the right side to a video of Arizona's Secretary of State, Ken Bennett, explaining the legislature's budget process. It runs 58 minutes, which is a long time, but it is very revealing and worth the view, I think. It clarified for me what I think is a basic flaw in their process, and I imagine that this mindset is not just limited to Arizona. Check it out...

Interesting website

I have been getting periodic e-mails from a source that apparently got my name by mistake... the name of the organization is truemajority.org. I was going to reprint some info from their website, but it's available if you want to see it. What struck me is how well they are diseminating their message. One thing I think we conservatives could use more of is well-worded messages.

Today, my hubby and I attended the monthly luncheon meeting of the Flagstaff Republican Women. We always have a speaker, and this time it was our newly appointed Secretary of State, Ken Bennett. Ken was the former leader of the State Senate until he reached his term limits. Ken put on a visual and informative presentation today explaining our state's budget, and how we went from having a 'Rainy Day' fund and ending balance to being heavily in debt and being faced with having to increase taxes and take out loans to meet our financial obligations. Absoloutely amazing how a body of 'legislators' -- and I use the term facetiously -- can project revenue, discover we came in short of projections, then turn around and project revenue increases for the next two budget years, AND increase spending! How did they balance the budget? Robbed several other funds to cover their asses... if this doesn't get the voters out, I don't know what will! But it won't, sadly... we had 30 people at the luncheon... a miniscule fraction of the registered Republicans in our community. And therein, I think, lies the problem. How to get the message out to the people who can do something about it! Well, my hubby videotaped the presentation, and as soon as he has it formatted, I will put it here for anyone who wants to spend an hour listening to a very well-done presentation. Even if you don't live in Flagstaff, you might be interested in the budget process used. I'm sure it's not too different from the process used in other states or at the federal level. And it's atrocious! So stay tuned...

Understanding the Stimulus Bill

Shortly after class, an economics student approaches his economics professor and says, "I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you explain it to me?" The professor replied, "I don't have any time to explain it at my office, but if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me with my weekend project, I'll be glad to explain it to you." The student agreed. At the agreed-upon time, the student showed up at the professor's house. The professor stated that the weekend project involved his backyard pool. They both went out back to the pool, and the professor handed the student a bucket. Demonstrating with his own bucket, the professor said, "First, go over to the deep end, and fill your bucket with as much water as you can." The student did as he was instructed. The professor then continued, "Follow me over to the shallow end, and then dump all the water from your bucket into it." The student was naturally confused, but did as he was told. The professor then explained they were going to do this many more times, and began walking back to the deep end of the pool. The confused student asked, "Excuse me, but why are we doing this?" The professor matter-of-factly stated that he was trying to make the shallow end much deeper. The student didn't think the economics professor was serious, but figured that he would find out the real story soon enough. However, after the 6th trip between the shallow end and the deep end, the student began to become worried that his economics professor had gone mad. The student finally replied, "All we're doing is wasting valuable time and effort on unproductive pursuits. Even worse, when this process is all over, everything will be at the same level it was before, so all you'll really have accomplished is the destruction of what could have been truly productive action!" The professor put down his bucket and replied with a smile, "Congratulations. You now understand the stimulus bill."