When in Doubt, Stick Taxpayers

From John Hood's Daily Journal:

RALEIGH – North Carolina taxpayers are no doubt a bit vague as to the status of negotiations in Raleigh about a new budget for 2005-07. It’s been confusing. Various trial balloons have floated, deflated, or popped with violence force. A state-run lottery may or may not show up in the final bill. Gov. Mike Easley suddenly – but properly – is insisting on some modicum of spending restraint, requiring tens of millions of dollars be excised from the House’s budget plan to meet his proposed cap.