Des Moines Register Guest column: No need to borrow for flood rebuilding
June 20, 2008
The devastating floods have not even receded, and yet there are those already sounding the alarm for massive new spending programs and demands for $1 billion in additional state borrowing to help fund anticipated reconstruction projects.
In our understandable desire to set things right as quickly as possible, let us not throw caution to the wind when it comes to developing strategies to fix the damage.
Our compassion cannot and should not be measured by our willingness to abandon sound budgeting principles and disregard those resources already in place that might play an important role in the reconstruction.