Kentucky Governor Beshear Budget Makes Difficult Decisions For The Problems Of Public Finances
The government rejected the possibility that a Kentucky judge the current crisis, triggered through a stagnant economy, said Governor Steve Beshear on Monday.
The Democratic governor said that developing a balanced budget, the biggest problem, and it is the legislature during the next term, established at the beginning of the 5th January with the person.
“Of course, you do not want to lay off workers,” said Beshear. “We must get these opportunities over the next two years, and this is not an easy choice. All decisions will be difficult.”
Beshear has painted a gloomy picture for the funding which has already cut about 800 million U.S. dollars from the current budget. He ruled a broad-based tax of any increase in the next legislature. And he has helped expand the game as a means of obtaining additional revenue.
The deficit forced to compensate for reductions in public services in the current budget. Last month, the agency said head Beshear on another 6 percent of its budget to eliminate slash the latest projections, an additional deficit of $ 161 million, supporting an overall reduction of the current budget of nearly $ 1 billion.
“This is not the time, amid the recession, when our family hurts, it hurts, and our business, increase the burden on families and businesses,” said Beshear. “I think if we do not do that right now, we can also move into recession, instead of helping us out.”
Beshear said the agenda will be very limited in the next term, focusing on the budget.
“This will make the budget more difficult overall, I think I have seen this condition in our time,” he said.
Beshear said his staff began to prepare revenue estimates, which will make their arguments for the legalization of slots at racetracks in Kentucky. Previous estimates, usually 200 million to 350 million dollars were. But Beshear said that the recent decision to legalize casinos in Ohio, Kentucky, will reduce the potential gains.
The game has been discussed in 2007, Beshear campaign for governor, in which the proposed constitutional amendment, which would open a casino in the authority of the central government. Since then, Beshear decided to submit a proposal, rather than fix the system, which could be the so-called video lottery terminals, which patrons play slots and other games of chance, are supported.
The horse industry is an important engine of economic development in Kentucky, receives a lot of money to preserve about 100,000 jobs in the estimates Beshear. Beshear said the injured horse industry in Kentucky, as most competing states or any other form of gambling expansion, which raise the purse to increase incentives for farmers and approved.
Beshear said that birds, horses, thoroughbreds, are currently the No. 1 agricultural product in Kentucky. “It shows where the horse industry in this state if we do nothing,” he said.
Slots proposal was at home this year, but died in the Senate, because there is not enough votes to get out of the barn-East and Revenue Committee.
Very critical of Republicans in the Senate, which rejected the proposal, which is now the demand for constitutional amendments in the hope that return Beshear to support horse owners and racing industry leader?
“It is too late to be a fool with a Constitutional Amendment, Beshear said.” We must move forward with the adoption of legislation that VLTs placed in the racetrack in a limited situation. If Republican senators want to really help the horse industry, they will be strengthened in January, stating that the time of this Act. Goodbye ”
Beshear is working to reduce the GOP control of the State Senate. It consists of two Republican senators appointed a high-level jobs pay the state government, one in the Committee on Public Service and others on the state of the judiciary. The appointment created a hole and called early elections.
The first election victory of democracy. The second will be decided Tuesday. If the Democrats win, the Republican majority would be reduced by 19-18 and slightly improve the chances for passage of the slots proposal.
“We work hard, of course,” said Beshear. “We hope that we will win, but you know that a quarter of the Republicans for 20 years, so this will pose difficult choices.”