If you're in the political biz with the surname "Nixon" you're going
to get asked the question a lot.
John Nixon can confirm that.
The Snyder administration's new budget director, who hails from way
out in You-tah, has an answer.
"No," he is not related to former Prez Dick Nixon but he does
confess there was a Dick Nixon in his family but not THE Dick Nixon.
Too bad. Would have been nice story line to pursue.
Instead, we are left to pursue John Nixon on another story line:
How in the heck will be eradicated almost $2 billion in red ink in this
state?
Answer is at this read he doesn't know but "We're looking at
everything."
And then he swipes the answer his boss, the gov. has used for
months,"Absolutely everything is on the table." Or in case you missed
the point, "There's nothing that's not on the table."
Which must scare the bee-cheezus out of the ultra right wing
republicans who would rather here something like, "We are not going to
raise any new revenue. Period."
But alas, no one in the Snyder administration has said that.
Instead you get comments like, "It is our goal" to avoid new
revenue.
Or as the new governor, first day on the jobs says, "We're clearly
looking at that" referring to balancing the budget with cuts and only
cuts.
But note that "goal" and "looking at" are not an iron-clad promise
not to do it.
Nixon won't go there either.
"I can't promise anything right now. I've been on the job for two
hours."
That will hardly appease the anti-revenue crowd as it waits
patiently to see if Gov. Snyder can work his budget magic without
offending the more conservative wing of his GOP.
BTW, Mr. Nixon has a sense of humor which he will need.
Asked what scared him about this new gig, if anything, he shot
back, "The cold."
And then he advised he would be buying a hat soon.
But can the state afford it?
He'll do it with his own money he reassured every weary taxpayer.
No sense adding to the deficit with a hat purchase, hey!