News

Advocate’s ‘Solve the Budget’ revealing

by Jeremy Alford, LaPolitics

Photo by Robin May

The Advocate newspaper and the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs teamed up this year to host a “Solve The Budget” puzzle where voters could actually try to balance the state budget. It’s not so easy. (Remember when lawmakers tried it for real in the regular session and failed?)

With more than 5,100 participants, the exercise’s results offer an unscientific snapshot of how voters and residents feel about spending priorities.

For example, no other budget-balancing question received a stronger response than “reduce some reductions and incentives on corporate taxes.” About 64 percent of participants were in favor. The least popular option was “remove a penny from state sales tax.” Only 27 percent were in favor of that.

Under the spending category, 78 percent supported “spend $24 million in state funds to receive $200 million in federal money for roadwork.” Whereas only 21 percent favored “provide state funding for local jails and prisons.