Posted on: Sunday, September 7, 2003

EDITORIAL
Revenue outlook gives us some wiggle room

We appreciate Gov. Linda Lingle's prudent approach to the state Council on Revenues' latest forecast that general fund revenues would grow by $35 million this fiscal year. These are only projections, she asserts. "This is not money we have in the bank."

That said, we hope she'll see her way to loosen the state purse strings some. The rosy forecasts ought to lead to a softening of the extremely harsh cuts made to public education, as well as social services that hurt the least among us.

Such a move would also ease some of the tension between the administration and Democratic lawmakers over the budget. The Legislature uses the forecasts to write the biennial budget.

In June, Lingle announced a 20 percent restriction on nonfixed costs for all state agencies during the first three months of the fiscal year, citing a projected $152 million shortfall. Democratic lawmakers accused Lingle of going overboard with restrictions, and are understandably using the upbeat projections to call on Lingle to ease up on the budget cuts. We hope the pace of tax collections will help her do that.