Campaign trail

Republican candidate for governor Terry Branstad and state auditor David Vaudt were on the campaign trail in Fairfield Wednesday to discuss the state?s budget and fiscal responsibilities, after which the floor was open for questions. Several items of concern were discussed including health care costs, funding for education, property taxes, economic development and unemployment. Branstad said the state is now spending $1.14 for every dollar it takes in. ?This is a recipe for disaster,? he said. ?If you as a family saw your health care costs go up, you?d find places to cut spending. The state didn?t do that. Instead they looked toward other pots of money,? citing the shifting of programs to local property taxes or diverting money from other funds such as the senior citizens trust fund and leaky underground tank fund. Vaudt said, ?It is very simple, don?t spend more than you take in.? When asked how he proposed to fix the problems in the state budget, Branstad suggested passing a biennial budget instead of an annual budget and working with the auditor to form a five-year strategic plan. ?We will have to eliminate some lower priority programs,? he said. ?We aren?t going to solve this mess in one year. But it can be done in three or four years.?

For this photo, see the Thursday, July 22, 2010, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.