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Senate Republican Leader
Senator Phil Berger
26th Senatorial District
Phone Number: (919) 733-5708
North Carolina Senate
Room 1026, Legislative Building
Raleigh, NC 27601
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2007
Senate Republicans, having received their first copy of the Budget Conference Report only one-hour in advance, today overwhelmingly voted for North Carolina’s taxpayers and against the Democrat proposed budget. With numerous tax hikes and an egregious 9.5 percent growth in spending, Republicans expressed their opposition by voting no.
Throughout the budget process, various budget proposals were made; with Democrats controlling the legislature and the Governor’s Mansion spending has exploded, as shown by the following:
Budget Proposed By |
Total Expenditures |
Increase in Spending Over Previous Year |
| Senate Republicans |
$19,926,906,257 |
5.6% |
| Governor Easley |
$20,066,351,100 |
6.4% |
| Democrat House |
$20,131,397,929 |
6.7% |
| Democrat Senate |
$19,982,159,682 |
5.9% |
| Democrat Conference Report |
$20,427,596,612 |
9.5% |
Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) made the following statement:
“Republicans have long argued that growth in state spending should reflect state population growth and inflation. Government expenditures in excess of that factor indicate waste by paying more than necessary for the same services or expansion of the bureaucracy. Under Democrat leadership, state government is not providing adequate basic services for the people of North Carolina. Our roads are crumbling; the Democrats budget spends $120 million for a Land for Tomorrow program, but provides nothing for roads today. All objective measures indicate that North Carolina’s public education system is failing, congestion is choking economic development, there is retrogression in the provision of mental health services, and our Courts are unable to efficiently move cases in the criminal justice system. If, at a time we see unprecedented growth in state spending, there is such a decline in outcomes, the only reasonable conclusion to be drawn is there is wasteful overspending, failed management, or both.
“For the twentieth consecutive year, Democrats will say this is the best budget for education ever; touting their spending plan as one that is momentous for education is standard practice for Democrats. For years Democrats have made the same speeches about their vision of North Carolina’s future; they assure people they have answers to the nagging problem of educational under-achievement, they say they understand the proper role of government in relation to the private sector and economic development, and they claim to have the ability to solve the growing infrastructure needs of a growing state. Year after year, they propose the same solutions to nagging problems in education, road construction, and social services: tax increases on North Carolina’s families and more money for the same failing programs.
“The people of North Carolina rightly ask: Is there a tax Democrats haven’t raised? Is there a dollar they haven’t spent?”
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