2008 Woodie Awards
Governor Patrick's fuzzy budget math
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Editorial
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Media was enjoying the story of Gov. Deval Patrick's personal spending spree, which included an expensive Cadillac and a pricey redecoration of his office.
Although some media outlets, particularly The Boston Herald, seemed to have a bit too much partisan fun at his expense, the story clearly showed how new Patrick is at this.
The message: if you preach thriftiness, you have to live it.
For his part, Patrick told reporters they should be focusing on the issues, particularly his upcoming budget proposal.
A look at the specifics of Patick's proposed budget shows a governor trying to remain faithful to his lofty campaign pledges while dealing realistically with the $1.3 billion budget gap.
It's a difficult balancing act, and Patrick's approach-to give voters their cake and cut the deficit, too-is unsustainable and unrealistic.
During the election, Patrick promised to relieve property taxes, improve education and increase the amount of police on the streets. His first budget shows he plans on keeping each of those pledges.
The plan includes an additional $200 million for public education, $13 million for new officers, and tax credits for families to offset property taxes, which The Associated Press estimates could cost $75 million in total.
There are other spending increases, too-on disease prevention and municipal aid.
There are also significant spending cuts in Patrick's budget, and the governor deserves some credit for, at least to an extent, doing what isn't always popular.
But it isn't enough. The spending proposal is still a 4 percent total increase over last year's.
Patrick's emphasis on closing corporate loopholes, while welcome as a concept, also seems to be too easy of a solution. The administration estimates that almost $300 million can be saved in eliminating such tax loopholes but has failed to specify what exactly they are and how easy it will be to close them. The approach is also na've: will it really be difficult for corporations to find and exploit other loopholes?
Although some media outlets, particularly The Boston Herald, seemed to have a bit too much partisan fun at his expense, the story clearly showed how new Patrick is at this.
The message: if you preach thriftiness, you have to live it.
For his part, Patrick told reporters they should be focusing on the issues, particularly his upcoming budget proposal.
A look at the specifics of Patick's proposed budget shows a governor trying to remain faithful to his lofty campaign pledges while dealing realistically with the $1.3 billion budget gap.
It's a difficult balancing act, and Patrick's approach-to give voters their cake and cut the deficit, too-is unsustainable and unrealistic.
During the election, Patrick promised to relieve property taxes, improve education and increase the amount of police on the streets. His first budget shows he plans on keeping each of those pledges.
The plan includes an additional $200 million for public education, $13 million for new officers, and tax credits for families to offset property taxes, which The Associated Press estimates could cost $75 million in total.
There are other spending increases, too-on disease prevention and municipal aid.
There are also significant spending cuts in Patrick's budget, and the governor deserves some credit for, at least to an extent, doing what isn't always popular.
But it isn't enough. The spending proposal is still a 4 percent total increase over last year's.
Patrick's emphasis on closing corporate loopholes, while welcome as a concept, also seems to be too easy of a solution. The administration estimates that almost $300 million can be saved in eliminating such tax loopholes but has failed to specify what exactly they are and how easy it will be to close them. The approach is also na've: will it really be difficult for corporations to find and exploit other loopholes?
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