Perhaps it was poetic that rain fell on much of the state Sunday &8212; including Jackson &8212; as lawmakers compromised the budget by reaching a compromise and then heading for home.

The budget compromise protected the 2-percent Rainy Day fund next year, but made it open game this year in order to pay bills and postpone the need for a tax increase until the 2004 Legislative Session opens after the coming elections in November. It was poetic because four years of overspending and ill-reasoned economics led to Sunday, when lawmakers met to compromise on budgetary spending because Gov. Ronnie Musgrove vetoed a budget bill that would have made it legal to dip into the Rainy Day Fund in normal budgeting procedures.

The Cost-Cutter a Big Spender

Musgrove said he would not allow legislators to use the Rainy Day fund because it was a poor decision that could endanger Mississippi&8217;s fiscal state. The laughable thing here is that many of Musgrove&8217;s ideas led to the crisis we now face. Particularly, the expansion of Medicaid and the overindulgence in the Children&8217;s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have been a large factor in the state&8217;s financial crisis.

Furthermore, Musgrove and legislative leaders together have signed off on a budget bill that, while protecting the Rainy Day fund in the future, have allowed it to be raided this year.

Rainy days ahead

Mississippi law states that the Legislature can only appropriate 98 percent of the state&8217;s tax collections &8212; except for 2003 anyway.

The remaining 2 percent is to be used for those emergencies where tax collections were not as large as they were forecasted to be, which has become a commonplace event over the last three years.

But for 2003, that Rainy Day fund does not exist. A deficit is assured. Legislators have written in language that would replenish the Rainy Day fund with loans from other agencies totaling approximately $50 million dollars. All this amounts to is more smoke-and-mirrors economics that shifts dollars from one account to the other without actually adding any additional revenue or cutting any spending. That means that come next year, when a new crop of legislators hit the Capital, they will have to debate &8212; and ultimately pass &8212; a tax increase to make sure our state does not bankrupt itself.

Spending not the only answer

As we prepare for that coming session, let us hope that our newest lawmakers &8212; and possibly governor &8212; will not continue on the current spending spree.

Yes, everyone wants more health care, pay raises for state workers and a Volvo in every garage.

But that is not fiscally responsible, as the past three years have shown.

A tax increase is almost assured, and rightfully so. That said, cutting spending will help ensure that we don&8217;t have to do the same thing again four years down the road due to wasteful economics.

Correcting a mistake

Last week I wrote that former GOP candidate for attorney general John Kitchens was a member of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association. In fact, it is Jim Kitchens who is a member. John Kitchens supporters were quick to point this out. Furthermore, they said his decision to drop out was driven purely by personal reasons and a commitment to complete business obligations he had with his law firm.

&8220;To be honest, our polling showed that the further we got from Madison and Rankin counties, the stronger John got,&8221; one Kitchens supporter said, requesting not to be named.

I apologize for mistaking Kitchens as an MTLA member, but the gist of the article still remains. Republicans running for statewide office cannot win without Madison and Rankin counties.

Sam R. Hall

is editor and publisher of The Times-Post. He can be reached at (662) 456-3771 or by e-mail to

sam.hall@timespost.com

.