Answering the $5-billion question

Owen Robinson, of Boots and Sabers blog, at home on a snow day with too much time on his hands, answers my question about what $5-billion he'd cut out of the state budget if Bride of TABOR had been in effect for the last 20 years.

(The conservatives have tried giving the bad idea a new name, TPA, but, as Scott Walker would say, that's applying lipstick to a pig. Most legislators are not ready to pucker up.)

Robinson doesn't prune or trim a budget. He uses an ax and a chain saw to lop of the $5-billion.

His cuts include $1-billion in health and family services (no compassionate conservative stuff here), $1.2-billion from Dept. of Public Instruction (public schools, in other words), and my favorite, all $1.8-billion in shared revenue.

At least he's not afraid to make tough decisions. But Robinson, of course, isn't running for office, unlike the last guy who tried to end shared revenue, somebody named McCallum.

Let's see if a legislator or candidate will take the challenge. Wanna bet? Here's Robinson's list and explanation.