The one in which I defend Bill White from Politipinion
In mid-January, the governor, the lt gov, and the speaker sent a joint memo telling agencies to submit plans for 5% budget cuts. As I noted at the time, "of $182.3 billion in the budget, the cuts only apply to about $32 billion. Still, that would cover $1.6 billion of the hole."
On March 9, Bill White criticized "just [cutting] across the board, Soviet style...you know, budget management that only career politicians seem to embrace." He did so in the context of saying that he didn't agree with one-size-fits-all budget cuts, because he would cut some departments more than others.
Today, April 17, Politifact gives its "pants on fire" liar rating to White's statement. Yikes.
Bill White didn't lie. He gave an opinion. Maybe he used a loaded word, but so what? Most words in the English language bring some connotations. He thinks that a standardized dictate from up high reminds him of the Soviets. That's not a factual assertion, it's his not-unreasonable opinon. Rather than investigating what academics think of the phrase "Soviet-style," how about we actually investigate Bill White's record as a manager?
Posted by Evan @ 04/17/10 12:10 AM
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