Budget surplus: Old “problem” in new economy
About the same time the economy collapsed, I began working in earnest on the state’s budget as part of Gov. Barbour’s budget policy team. (Note: There was no correlation between my working on the budget & dwindling tax revenues.)
In 2007, Mississippi’s fiscal situation was beginning to crumble: After enjoying years of healthy revenue growth, Mississippi’s collections tanked alongside the rest of the states’.
To get a sense of the impending financial doom, read from Gov. Barbour’s executive budget recommendation for Fiscal Year 2009: “We have to recognize the national economy has been softening. Serious troubles in the financial markets have not only generated pessimism but also have caused a real credit crunch…This will require considerable budget discipline. It means we’ll have to tell some people ‘No;’ it means some good things won’t get funded or won’t get as much funding as some people would like.”
Rebekah Staples
6/27/13
Magnolia Tribune
