Give Back Iowa’s $800 Million Budget Surplus to Taxpayers
Iowa’s Legislative Service Agency puts the state of Iowa’s budget surplus at $804.6 million. Immediately there is discussion on how to deal with it. Should we spend it on education? Should we spend it on Human Services? Should we spend it on ___________? It is an automatic default for some politicians to feel that we must spend any surplus that we have. If we have it we must spend.
May I remind our Legislature that it isn’t their money to spend. They don’t have money of their own, government is not a producer – they collect money involuntarily from their residents. They are merely stewards of what ever funding they do have.
So this isn’t a surplus – it is an ending balance. The state of Iowa over collected and that money should be returned to the taxpayers. A “surplus” isn’t a license to spend more money.
Category: Iowa State Budget
About the Author (Author Profile)
Shane Vander Hart is the founder and editor-in-chief of Caffeinated Thoughts. He is also the President of 4:15 Communications, LLC, a social media & communications consulting/management firm. He is a communications director for American Principles Project’s Preserve Innocence Initiative. Prior to this Shane spent 20 years in youth ministry serving in church, parachurch, and school settings. He has also served as an interim pastor and is a sought after speaker and pulpit fill-in. Shane has been married to his wife Cheryl since 1993 and they have three kids. Shane and his family reside near Des Moines, IA. You can connect with Shane on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Google +.Subscribe
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