Citizens from Wisconsin. I have a question.

[mmonk]

I was going over your budget published by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Here is what I found in it:

Estimated 2010-11 General Fund Condition Statement
2010-11
Revenues
Opening Balance, July 1 $25,718,100
Taxes 12,691,400,000
Departmental Revenues
Tribal Gaming 22,330,300
Other 833,733,300
Total Available $13,573,181,700
Appropriations
Gross Appropriations $14,109,283,800
Compensation Reserves 95,962,700
Biennial Appropriation Adjustment -242,677,200
Sum Sufficient Reestimates -121,637,800
Less Lapses -389,112,600
Net Appropriations $13,451,818,900
Balances
Gross Balance $121,362,800
Less Required Statutory Balance -65,000,000
Net Balance, June 30 $56,362,800

I saw on Cenk's show on MSNBC where he said the deficit was $3 billion. But yet I see a balance. You could help me with the difference?

Thank you.

[PeaceNikki]

1. Read this

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/wisconsin-gov-walker-ginned-up-budget-shortfall-to-undercut-worker-rights.php

[mmonk]

4. I see this but it is already figured in:

The factors that cause the $54.0 million difference between the administration's reports and
our analysis are described below.
First, the 2010-11 opening balance (closing balance for 2009-10) is $25.7 million rather
than the $71.0 million reported in the 2009-10 Annual Fiscal Report. This reduction of $45.3
million is based on the Legislative Audit Bureau's report of January 20, 2011, which indicated
that certain 2009-10 transfers and expenditures were incorrectly recorded.

But I was wondering where Cenk was getting the $3 billion deficit.

[HereSince1628]

2. It's due to recent Republican Pro-business spending.

The numbers are in a jumble, and no one should trust them...but the Wisconsin agency required to state our fiscal status claimed a balanced buget for 2011 at the end of January. Unfortunately, those computations didn't include the impact of pro-business legislation rammed through by the republican majority in January

[Viking12]

3. The $3B+ figure is what's known as a structural deficit for the 2011-2013 budget

The Fiscal Bureau report you link is for the 2009-2011 budget. As that report indicates, we were in a position to meet our 2009-2011 budget obligations until Walker and the Repubs passed a series of tax cut giveaways that undermined the 2009-2011 budget.

[mmonk]

5. OK. Now I get it.

I have to be hit over the head sometime.