This should shock no one. Lawmakers did nothing over their 14 day 4th
of July recess to resolve the budget impasse.
Didn't they say some of the committees might meet?
They did.
Didn't they say progress would be made?
Right again.
Did that happen?
Nope.
And now a key capitol insider is privately confiding, they may not
get the budget done by October first. Instead of the planets aligning,
they seem to be un aligning, if that is a word Here we go again.
Ask budget director Bob Emerson a veteran of many legislative budget
battles.
He knows the senate Republicans want another all cuts budget but
"The house (run by the Democrats) will not pass an all cuts budget."
He himself concedes you can't balance this mess without new revenue and
he warns the senate GOP leader, there must be a compromise.
"Senator Bishop can't have his way on everything no matter how much
he stomps and pouts," Emerson asserts.
Bishop doesn't object to that characterization because standing in
the way of new revenue is "my role."
Can you say stalemate?
Can you say government shutdown?
And the only way to avoid saying either of those terms is to adopt
a continuation budget which becomes more likely every day the budget
goes unresolved.
In the past, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said she would veto a
budget that continues spending at last year's already record low levels.
But will she say it this go-around?
If she does threaten to veto that safety gap budget, and lawmakers
pass one anyway, and if she uses the veto pen, then she will be the one
responsible for closing down the government.
That would add yet another lousy legacy chapter to the Granholm
saga which means you probably won't hear any veto threats from her
anytime soon.