Money: They’re Spending It On What?

From Joseph Coletti, fiscal policy analyst of the John Locke Foundation:

N.C. Senate and House conferees are trying to reconcile their $17 billion budgets beyond closed doors. We can all rest easy. It’s not like the General Assembly honorables have abused our trust in the past by giving themselves control over $30 million in discretionary funds to create jobs for their cronies or to make sidewalks look nice instead of making roads safe.

Oh wait, they did.

Every month this year has added another $100 million to revenues. The latest estimate is excess revenues of more than $500 million. But senators and House members argue they need to raise taxes to pay for schools and Medicaid, that they need to raise fees to pay for roads, and that everything else in the budget is essential for the state.

You be the judge. If you can justify all 10 of the following spending items, not including the funhouse of education spending, from either the Senate or House budgets, Senate President Pro-Tem Marc Basnight may have a place for you in the Assembly.