Winston-Salem Journal Editorial

When the state is short billions of dollars to meet the budgets for both this year and next, the General Assembly should be looking under every rock to find savings.

Unfortunately, the legislative leadership does not appear ready to do that.

Another session has opened and for another year the legislature will not be undertaking zero-based budgeting, a process in which lawmakers scrutinize every program to determine whether it fulfills its purpose and is still a priority. Zero-based budgeting takes budget writers back to square one with every program and asks one question: Do we need this?

The lack of enthusiasm among legislative leaders for zero-based budgeting comes despite a recent report that puts the state’s budget gap for next fiscal year at $2.1 billion.

When speaking to capitol reporters at the start of the session, House Speaker Joe Hackney said that every item in the budget will be reviewed this year. But that’s not zero-based budgeting.

As John Blust, a Greensboro Republican, says, “We only look at our proposed changes to the governor’s proposed changes in the budget.” The legislature goes on “auto pilot” when it looks at the budget, Blust told the Journal, “and we need to start flying on manual.”

For those who think this is just partisan bickering, consider the words of Oxford Democratic Rep. Jim Crawford, a veteran budget chairman in the House. Zero-based budgeting “would be a whole lot more in depth than what we do… We have a continuation budget that we barely look at. We spend most of our time looking at the expansion budget and then education needs and health and human services.”

The continuation budget covers spending needed to maintain current government services but adjusted for inflation and population growth.

True zero-based budgeting would look not just at whether a program’s cost needs to grow at the level the governor projects but also at whether the program is needed any longer.

Comprehensive zero-based budgeting can’t be conducted every session. It’s too much work. Legislators who support the practice say programs should be divided into three groups. The legislature could review one group every two-year session. That way every program would be fully reviewed every six years.

There’s no doubt that legislators will balance the budget. They always do. What is not certain, however, is how, without zero-based budgeting, North Carolinians can be sure legislators cut the most appropriate programs.

ATLANTA – Georgia voters had their hands on the balance of power in the next U.S. Senate in a runoff election Tuesday, one of two unresolved races that Democrats need to win to get a 60-seat majority impervious to GOP filibusters.

Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss faced Democrat Jim Martin after a post-general election campaign that drew national political heavyweights from both parties.

In Minnesota, a recount that could take weeks is under way in a tight race between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken.

No problems were reported after Georgia polls opened at 7 a.m., Secretary of State spokesman Matt Carrothers said. A few precincts reported short lines. Polls were scheduled to close at 7 p.m. Murray Gottlieb, 54, a caterer in Savannah, said he voted for Chambliss because he doesn’t want complete Democratic control of the Senate.

“I support Barack Obama now. I hope he’s the best president we’ve ever had and we get out of the funk we’re in, but I don’t want to give him that much power,” Gottlieb said after casting his ballot at a church in Savannah.

The ailing economy brought architect Glen McClure, 47, out for Martin.

“My motivation is, I’m unemployed as of yesterday,” he said at a library-turned-polling place in Atlanta’s upscale Buckhead neighborhood.

Chambliss and Martin both fell short of the 50-percent threshold in a three-way general election race with Libertarian candidate Allen Buckley, who drew 3.4 percent of the vote. It’s Georgia’s first Senate runoff since 1992, when Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler was upset by Republican Paul Coverdell.

Chambliss is seeking a second term after winning in 2002 against Democratic Sen. Max Cleland in a campaign that infuriated Democrats with a TV ad that questioned Cleland’s commitment to national security and flashed a photo of Osama bin Laden. Martin has aligned himself with President-elect Barack Obama’s message of change, and has vowed to provide economic relief for the middle class. Chambliss has promised to be a firewall against a Democratic-dominated Washington getting a “blank check.”

Early voting statistics were encouraging for the Chambliss camp.

Of the nearly 500,000 early voters, turnout was down among black voters and higher among white males compared to advance voting before the general election.

White males normally are a solid Republican constituency in Georgia, while exit polls showed that Martin won the votes of nine of ten Georgia blacks who registered a preference.

Still, analysts say it’s hard to tell how that may impact Tuesday’s contest.

“It doesn’t mean the overall turnout will be skewed,” said Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz. “It could just mean that there’s much less incentive to early vote this time, because no one’s expecting there to be long lines now.”

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel did not predict turnout for the contest, but the 1992 runoff attracted about 1.2 million voters – roughly half the turnout in that year’s general election.

Roughly 4 million people cast ballots in this year’s general election, and both sides have since tried to keep voters’ attention with a barrage of ads and visits by political heavy-hitters.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore both stumped for Martin. President-elect Barack Obama recorded a radio ad for Martin and sent 100 field operatives, but he didn’t campaign in the state despite a request from Martin to do so.

Several ex-Republican presidential candidates made appearances for Chambliss, including GOP nominee John McCain, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s vice presidential pick, held four rallies for Chambliss that drew thousands of party faithful Monday.

Saxby Chambliss: www.saxby.org

Jim Martin: www.martinforsenate.com