Many people I speak with, including constituents, quote the same information and attribute it to the news media. The problem is, we really don't have that kind of surplus.

So if the reports are wrong, what's right?

Here's how the money really breaks down; we do have total revenues of one billion dollars. But what we don't have is a billion extra!

The one billion dollars everyone is talking about is really the $640 M we have counted on for the 2007 budget plus surplus money. So where did the surplus come from? In 2005 and 2006 we budgeted based on the assumption that the state would collect $528 M in revenue for those years. As it turned out, more money came into the state coffers than expected so now we have surplus money – kind of like a bonus.

It is important to recognize that the surplus funds are only available once. Why does this make a difference? Simply stated, most programs and services are ongoing and need ongoing money. Can you imagine if the state paid employees or funded education with money we only have this year?

I'm not trying to minimize the fact that we have unprecedented amounts of revenue because we do. But with that, we need to talk truth about the numbers and recognize the limits of surplus money.