At the annual meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, many of the state???s chief executives from both parties insist they want greater flexibility to deal with the estimated $1.2 trillion in cuts known as sequestration.
???It will lessen the effect of sequestration if the states are given flexibility to deal with [the cuts],??? Oklahoma???s Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, vice chairman of the NGA, told reporters at the opening session of the association Saturday morning.
Colorado???s Gov. John Hickenlooper, considered a bright Democratic prospect for the future agreed. As he told Human Events, ???every governor wants more flexibility.???
Well, not ???every governor,??? it seems. Less than three months after he was elected North Carolina???s first Republican governor in 24 years, Pat McCrory said that governors ???are already making tough decisions??? and the president and Congress should deal with an alternative to sequestration on their own.
???Put the president in a room with Congress to do work and not go out and make speeches,??? McCrory said. ???I make all of my speeches in the evening because during the day, I???m making tough decisions on our own budget.???
The former Charlotte Mayor went on to point out that ???no one can run any organization on across-the-board spending cuts. Yes, there must be cuts but you can???t make cuts without prioritization.
???And it???s absolutely amazing how they define ???cuts??? in Washington! According to the definition there, cuts are a reduction in the increase of spending in the budget.???
In explaining the severe fiscal problems he is facing, Gov. McCrory said ???our biggest dilemma is that of unfunded liabilities. Right now, I am looking at what to do about the long-term liability of $2.6 billion in unemployment loans to our state and the burden they have on business.???
???And the last time I checked,??? the governor added, ???Washington was not forgiving any of it.???
