The real game: Who can really know whom to trust in Raleigh

This could be a game show -- if it weren't so scary.

The budget battle will continue this week in Raleigh -- even if the rest of us would rather not hear another word about it.

And as the debate over taxes, cuts and deficits continues, North Carolinians will be left with a new pastime, a new sort of lottery game. Call it: "Whom do you trust?"

Whenever there is an argument over money involving politicians, the blame game starts. Everyone is trying to find someone to take the fall for the alleged mismanagement that has led to having to talk about deficits, taxes and cuts.

Lucky for us, no one really knows whom to blame in Raleigh, so while there will be some potshots about past mismanagement, there will not be long debates over who gets the award for most incompetent budget handler this year.

They all qualify equally -- Democrats for not seeming to have any handle on what it takes to run a state budget, and Republicans for not making a tougher stand a year ago and coming up with a real solution and not a new chorus of "we told you so."

But now, the new conflict begins, who is telling the truth, whose counsel is the least-influenced by self-preservation and political action groups and who really has the best plan for getting us out of this mess.

When we figure that out, we can get back to the business of keeping this state afloat.

So, turn your worthless hot air meter on full-throttle and listen to what is said and not said over the next few weeks. Then, we can decide whom to believe.

And if that doesn't work, we can always pick a N.C. Republican and a Democrat to battle it out on one of those Japanese game shows.

At least then, we could laugh.

Published in Editorials on June 22, 2009 11:09 AM