Bev Perdue, mistress of the art of budget-busting …

Madame Governor has apparently been reading the polls, which all show her losing to the former GOP mayor of Charlotte (who has yet to even announce his candidacy).  So, she is pulling out the big gun — the weapon of choice for any beleaguered liberal politician — MORE SPENDING:

Republican legislative leaders asked a Wake Superior Court judge to clarify his ruling on the state pre-kindergarten program.

They want to make sure that Manning did not intend them to pay for all at-risk 4-year-olds, because they did not put money in the budget to enroll what could be as many as 65,000 students.

Gov. Bev Perdue last week issued an executive order saying the state would come up with a plan to admit all eligible, at-risk students, regardless of their family ability to pay.

 

Unbelievable.  Our unemployment rate is at an all-time high.  We owe billions in debt to the federal government.  The state budget has been cut to the bone JUST so we can pay our bills.  And this woman wants the government to pay for EVERYBODY to participate in this program — which is arguably a luxury.  This is what you do when you are a liberal, and you don’t have the charm skills of Bill Clinton or John Edwards:  compare your opponents to Hitler or Bull Connor, then THROW  EVEN MORE TAX MONEY OUT THERE.

House Speaker Thom Tillis had some comments about legislative leaders’ actions and Perdue’s move:

“This is an effort to gain clarification from the court. The initial ruling was unclear at key points, and unfortunately, it appears that the governor has taken advantage of the lack of clarity to try to create a constitutional problem.  Our budget serves pre-K students in the same way that they have been served in the past.  The majority in the General Assembly has no higher priority than providing services to pre-K students.  However, we simply cannot afford an expanded entitlement program that the governor appears intent on creating.”

State Senate President Phil Berger also tossed in his two cents:

“The best way to protect North Carolina’s children and their future is to keep our budget balanced, protect our AAA credit rating, and resist the urge to recklessly spend money we don’t have. We’re doing what Gov. Perdue should have done weeks ago. But rather than govern responsibly, Perdue chose to pick another political fight in a desperate attempt to boost her dismal poll numbers. Our children, and all North Carolinians, need leaders willing to protect our state’s fragile economy – not career politicians who use kids as pawns to win the next election.”

 

Lord help us.  2012 can’t get here fast enough.