Even in crisis Gregoire can't cut a budget

For the last 4 years, Chris Gregoire and her Democrat allies in Washington have been on a spending spree. Such a spree that the biennial budget for 2007-2008 was $15 billion higher than the biennial budget of 2003-2004 that Gregoire built her first budget on. Yes, $15 billion of growth in 4 years! That is a 29.39% increase in state spending.

Now facing a $5-$7 billion deficit, Gregoire has sharpened her pencil to cut the budget, and she's holding - for now - to her "no tax" election pledge. She's already getting sued by state unions for her "drastic" cuts, and Democrats in the Legislature are already screaming. The curious thing is that Gregoire's proposed budget isn't a dime smaller than the 2007-2008 budget. It actually increases the biennial budget by over $200 million a year.

No doubt most Democrats couldn't care less about fiscal sanity, as long as they get their share of other people's money. But at some point the folks who pay the taxes that Democrats spend are going to say "no more". Then what will Democrats do?