Chris Rants Does a 180 on Budget Cuts
Over the past week, Chris Rants has been trying to have it both ways on Iowa’s budget, and it’s time someone called him on it. In a story posted last Wednesday afternoon, Rants had the following to say about across-the-board budget cuts:
Christopher Rants, a Republican candidate for governor, said cutting 5.4 percent now isn't enough. "You really ought to do more than that, six or seven percent," said Rants, of Sioux City. [The Des Moines Register 10/07/09].
Less than a day later, on Thursday afternoon, Governor Culver announced an unprecedented 10 percent across-the-board budget cut for fiscal year 2010. If you were thinking Rants would say something like "the Governor showed real courage and got this one right" – well, you’d be wrong. By Thursday, Rants decided the following would be his talking point for the day:
"I believe an across the board cut is a dumb and lazy way to handle the problem. A smarter solution that reflects the priorities of Iowans is to make a series of targeted reductions and program eliminations." [www.theiowarepublican.com 10/08/09]
Who to believe? Wednesday Chris or Thursday Chris? Stewardship of the state budget is a chief responsibility of the Governor. While Governor Culver was being decisive, direct, and responsible, Chris Rants was playing politics.