Branstad and Culver: Contrasting Decisions
Faced with the ramifications of the Bush/Cheney recession, Governor Chet Culver acted swiftly and decisively to balance the budget through a 10% across the board spending cut.
That decision stands in stark contrast to Terry Branstad’s tenure as governor. Back in 1991-1992 when Branstad was Governor, the nation faced a recession (though not nearly as bad as the current one).As the state began to run out of revenue, Branstad’s mismanagement made the situation that much worse.
Branstad, who likes to campaign as a fiscal conservative, did the worst thing you can do as a government manager – he overspent the budget and created a massive state deficit. By the end of fiscal year 1992, Iowa’s state deficit stood at $408 million dollars. [Bond Buyer, 5/7/93]
Contrast those two decisions: Culver cutting enough to allow for cash reserves of $400 million; Branstad overspending the state treasury by $400 million. It doesn’t get much clearer than that. Iowans have a clear choice – fiscal discipline versus fiscal mismanagement.