The House did what it had to do. It passed a budget with lots of cuts. The people voted for people because they promised no new taxes, and they are required under law to pass a balanced budget.
Rep. Patricia Harless, R-Spring, said her vote reflects a simple message to her constituents: “We balanced the budget with the revenue we had, and we didn’t raise any new taxes or fees.”
Still, she shared the concerns of her Democratic colleagues who savaged the budget because of its severe cuts to education, health care and human services.
“I have those exact same concerns, too,” Harless said. “I’m sad that we’re having to cut teachers. I am sad that the nursing homes are going to be closed and that seniors will be harmed in some way. But it’s a tough economic time, and we have to spend the money we have, and if we don’t have the money, we can’t spend it.”
No one is going to like the cuts, but doing the responsible thing isn’t the most popular thing. Let’s hope it doesn’t cause to much pain in 2012.
