From The Journal of Martinsburg:
But elsewhere in the Mountain State, another question may be asked: What happened to the hold-the-line budget Republican legislators proposed just a few weeks ago?
At that time, some GOP lawmakers were talking about a $4.05 billion budget. That was the same amount the Justice administration projects the state will receive in revenue next year. The $4.05 billion plan would have required no new taxes.
This week, however, the House was looking at a $4.27 billion budget — with about $158 million in higher taxes.
The proposal is higher than the $4.187 billion budget for the current year — and because of midyear cuts, actual spending will be less than that.
Total general revenue spending this year, taking midyear cuts into account, is likely to be around $4 billion. That means the House budget is $270 million more than this year’s spending.
Even with more money for next year — you guessed it — the bureaucrats are complaining about spending “cuts.”
Some things never change, especially when government is involved.