May 20, 2010

by Al Doyle

With the almost universal disdain for career politicians and two-faced types who will say or do anything to get elected, there was much cheering when Arlen Specter lost the Democratic Senate primary in Pennsylvania.

A five-term U.S. senator, Specter is the ultimate flip-flopper and big government supporter. He began his career as a Democrat, switched to the Republicans when it appeared to be the more secure path to staying in office, and then returned to the Democrats for the same reason.

Voters clearly had enough of Specter's self-centered approach and chose Rep. Joe Sestak by a 54 to 46 percent margin. While Sestak is no friend of conservatives, his victory over one of the ultimate Beltway insiders sends a loud message.

Even better news came from Kentucky, where political novice Rand Paul stomped Trey Grayson 59 to 35 percent in that state's Republican Senate primary. Dr. Paul - a career ophthalmologist - overcame the national Republican Party, which handpicked and heavily supported former Clinton supporter Grayson.

The son of freedom-loving Texas congressman Ron Paul, Rand Paul shares his father's dedication to fiscal responsibility and limited government, and he gave much of the credit for the victory to the Tea Party movement. This was truly a grassroots effort, as the average contribution to the Paul campaign was less than $50. Normally ignored by national media, Kentucky will surely be the subject of numerous stories as the November 2 Senate election draws closer.

It's not just California, New York and Illinois, as large deficits are the rule for just about every state government. Even Texas, which is widely regarded as one of the better-off states from a financial and employment standpoint, is facing the possibility of a shortfall that could reach $18 billion. Cuts of $1.2 billion from the state budget were announced on May 18, but that is nothing more than a starting point for what needs to be done.

After starting with a projected deficit of $590 million - a staggering amount for a state with a population of just over 1.05 million - Rhode Island cobbled together a newly enacted budget. While there were some cuts in funding for towns and cities as well as reductions in pension benefits for state workers, the optimistic numbers include promised federal stimulus funds that won't be paid for at least a year.

Louisiana is looking at closing eight of the state's 14 four-year public universities in 2011 or an across the board 30 percent cut to college funding. The need to act is urgent, as Louisiana could face a multibillion dollar deficit by 2012.

The Minnesota House and Senate failed to come up with a solution to an estimated $3 billion deficit before the May 15 end of the recent legislative session. The state will soon have less than $200 million cash on hand to cover obligations.