Comments about ‘Budget proposal nears final draft’

The State Legislature may want to thank the Democratic U.S. Congress and President Obama for making their state budgeting process much more easier with the influx of the stimulus money. How ironic isn't it.

$20 per vehicle registration fee increase! Wow! Talk about a regressive tax. This hits someone like a single mom who is struggling to survive and a vehicle that is barely running very hard. Shame on whoever thought this one up.

I think this budget is the definition of irony. A bunch of Ultra-Conservative Republicans are being able to keep many programs/jobs due to the Democrats in the White House, and the "pork-barrel" stimulus. At the same time the Ultra-Conservative Republicans are raising taxes in Utah.

This must really stick in the craw of you Republicans.

For those who have been able to keep their jobs due to the Stimulus, you can thank the President for that. Had your Republicans had their way, you'd be out on the street, just another casualty of Capitalism.

No mattter what dribble is written on this sight about Obama, the man is doing what needs to be done to fix the infinite messes left by your President George W. Bush. And the country agrees with me, outside of Buttars-Utah, and the RushLimbaugh-South.

There's no such thing as a free lunch!

Wow...Good thing the state legislature feels like the only budget that can really be cut to save the entire state is education. Didn't it sound like public and higher education (plus the vehicle registration fee hike) are the only ones who have to make up for the state budget deficit? It seems like road construction could be put off for a year or two to save the education budget.

No question, but ask the Americans who will be able to keep their jobs or homes or health care how they feel about it. Obviously you're not in a position to loose any of these items.

My thanks go out to the Legislature for their efforts during this very tough session. When you are forced to make decisions that hurt people's lives, your days grow long and your heart is heavy. You have done you job to the best of your abilities and Utah's citizens need weigh whether they could have done better and be grateful for your efforts. I hope you will not have to furlough workers at this time. There is enough pain in the world today without hurting those who work for all of us to make this a better state. I encourage the Legislature to set this option aside to be used only if economic projections get even worse which may well be the case.

Education is taking a hit! is absolutely correct. There is nothing more important to our society than the education of our children. If the legislature refuses to provide adequate funding for the old fashioned subjects of math, science, and reading, our society will continue to degenerate.

Go ahead and cut education. Utahans don't need to read, think, make art and perform well in math and science. They can just tune in conservative talk radio to do their thinking for them.

Teachers and public education are being spanked for not supporting vouchers. This legislature is balancing their budget on the backs of professionals who take care of our children while refusing to use funds from the rainy day fund.

Roads are held harmless. Eduation gets slammed. What a vision for the future!

I don't understand. If the public education budget is cut 6 percent how can enrollment growth be funded?

I'm not sure where everyone is getting the information that education is the ONLY budget being cut. Education is getting off much easier than some of the other State Departments. I think the Legislature is trying to do the best they can with the hand they have been dealt. Compared to CA and KS, Education here is in Fat City!

Teachers and public education are NOT being spanked for not supporting vouchers. Public education is getting hurt less than EVERY other state agency. Go to Utahs Right to know and you will see that public education is doing very well in the salary field. We are wasting tons of money in the district offices. When the legislature has given the districts extra money is doesn't trickle down to the teachers but is used to inflate the large salaries in the district offices. I also think the state could get away with about half as many school districts and create a big savings in public education that could be funneled to the classroom.

I am glad the legislature was able to cut spending and bond 3.3 billion for road projects that will be much cheaper to build at this time. The imput costs are way down from a year ago for steel & concrete.Even labor costs are down because so many construction workers are desperate for work. This is a great time to prepare our infrastructure for Utahs future prosperity several years down the road. I hope with an inproved infrastructure and taxes that have not increased during the recession that more businesses, especially from California, will move to Utah.

I am glad they are supporting funding on roads. This must be the vision for the future, cut education so we will need more trade jobs. A few more dudes holding signs, placing cones and leaning on shovels. I would love to see the kick backs from the construction companies, someone is getting rich somewhere.

It isn't a 6 percent budget cut.

Budgets were cut 4% in the September 2008 special legislative session.
PLUS
Cuts of 7.5% made earlier this session
PLUS
Cuts of 6% now
EQUALS 17.5% cut

To say the cuts are only 6% ignores the previous cuts. Is this legislative transparency? The public will feel these cuts!!!! The VOTERS will feel these cuts!!!

In the heading of the State Income tax return, it states "All State Income Tax Dollars Fund Education" so if our great 5% flat tax is reducing the tax paid, why would they question where the budget went south? On last years returns, only a small percentage of people in the state were able to use the 5.35% flat tax, normally only people making over $250,000.00 in income, but boy did they ever save. We are not talking thousands or even tens of thousands but some in the hundred of thousands of dollars saved over the traditional tax that 90% of the people had to use. With the additional cut to 5% they get to save approximately an additional 10% above last years savings, where if you are retired, have a disabled dependent, paid your own insurance or adopted a child, you pay more in tax this year. Why is there absolutely no talk of getting away from the flat tax, the budget shortfall this year for income tax will be greater than the returns filed in 2007, those who have to pay more cannot make up for the super rich.

not do what the feds did, that being, get the money first and then work on the budget? Hurry, hurry, we must pass this bill now, or all is lost!!!!

More state buildings? "the University of Utah Business building, a UCAT technology building and the Southern Utah University Gibson Science Center" We certainly can live without these! It would be nice if our leaders would put together a list of services that are critical and those that are just nice to have. For every dollar of new taxes, they should be required to cut 2 dollars from the budget.

How can you say we can live without the buildings you listed? Do you know anything about them? What programs they house? How many students go through those doors and get an education? How many people work within them? How many construction jobs will be created to get them built?

NOTHING is more critical than investing in human capital and the best way to do that is through education. And I think Teddy Roosevelt would have agreed.