Issue Position: Fiscal Responsibility

The term fiscal responsibility is often bantered around, but usually not well defined. It can be narrowed down to not spending more than what you bring in. Just as families and individuals need to balance their budgets, so must we as a State. Balancing the State budget was so important to the founders of our state that they made it a requirement in our State Constitution.

Another large part of being fiscally responsible includes how we manage our resources. It includes eliminating waste and setting spending caps, again, living within our budget. It's not just saying "no" to spending, but involves the complicated task of evaluating and assessing needs, setting priorities, and appropriating funding to achieve those priorities and to meet those needs. That is why we need to have legislators who are committed and focused on balancing our budget, not just putting band-aids on old problems. We need to rein in spending, cut waste and work at ways to increase our income without raising taxes.

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