It's bad times in state government around the country: tax refunds being "postponed," cuts in services from closed parks and highway rest stops to cutback in senior programs and even schools. And, to make ends meet, many states will need to seek new revenues - new or increased fees and taxes.
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, though. When the federal government makes it a matter of policy to cut taxes, as has been the case for most of the past decade, it doesn't really result in smaller government or reduced expenditures as politicians claim, because people still demand services, though they hate to pay for them.
Instead, ballyhooed tax cuts at the federal level just shift the burden to states. (it's somewhat like daylight time, which shifts the daylight to those who like it in the afternoon, e.g. all those late-rising lawyers in congress) from those who prefer it inthe morning). When the shift continues over the long term, state budgets get squeezed, especially in a bad economy.
It's no mystery, but it's unfortunate. I suspect most people notice the state changes (more taxes and/or reduced services) far more in their daily lives than they do cutbacks in, say, funding for the military or the border patrol.
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