Chris Rants Does a 180 on Budget Cuts
October 12, 2009
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.