Marilyn Ruestman Comes Down With Bad Case of Amnesia

Rep. Marilyn Ruestman (R-Joplin) must have been asleep for the entirety of March, April and May 2009.  How else to explain this allegation of fiscal mismanagement by the Nixon Administration in her latest column?

He [Jay Nixon] boasts of strong fiscal policy, but irresponsibly used one-time stimulus funds to balance our budget despite our warnings.

I do remember warnings from Republican leaders early in the year about using one-time federal funds to balance the state budget, even though the federal stimulus package was designed to balance state budgets. 

I also distinctly remember Republican leaders executing a dramatic about-face and using more federal money than the allegedly irresponsible Governor recommended in their budgets.  I also remember House Budget Chair Allen Icet admitting that despite his vows and promises and statements to the contrary, he'd actually written a budget that relied on federal money to pay for ongoing expenses. In fact, as I recall, last year's budget -- drafted and passed by Republican majorities -- relied on "$1.3 billion in federal stimulus money for projects and programs normally funded by state tax dollars."

It sure is funny how Ruestman hasn't called out Icet, Speaker Ron Richard, or any of the other GOP leaders for "irresponsibly used one-time stimulus funds" to balance the budget, after promising not to do exactly that. 

For a refresher on last year's roller coaster budget ride, check out the handy guide we put together last May. 

h/t The Turner Report for Ruestman's column