Oh, this is wonderful! The ending balances from the state budget is more than $4 billion, of which, republicans contend, there is $3.3 billion is “unreserved, undesignated fund balance and was available for spending, subject to statutory and constitutional constraints.” (see previous post here) The GOP effort to call attention to this, our blog post and featuring this on the show this week has hit target because now, the pro tax increase folks have gotten to the Zero. And today the Zero reports, there’s no money there. But wait. Oh, ok, there’s SOME money there. Oh, ok there are tens of millions there. Oh, ok, there is $100 million dollars there. Well, which is it? Is there money there or not? The answer is ‘yes.’  THERE IS MONEY IN A SHOE BOX AMID THE DUST BUNNIES UNDER TED KULONGOSKI’S BED AT MAHONIA HALL. RIGHT NEXT TO HIS FUZZY, PINK SLIPPERS.
State offices use the ending balances to fund phantom jobs, furniture they don’t need so it looks as if they’re actually spending it, but it never gets spent. You get screwed and they get a slush fund.
If you don’t think that’s a very important issue just remember that when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans about half the cops didn’t show up for duty. Some cops didn’t want to report because of their personal issues and losses, others were hurt, but many of those were phantom positions. The cops weren’t there. Wonder what’s missing in Oregon state’s budget. Makes you wonder.