Honestly folks, I didn’t see this one coming at all. Governor Ted has threatened a veto of the idea from House and Senate Democrat leadership to increase K-12 funding an additional 200 million by dipping into the education rainy day fund. He has done this for good reason, as he is being realistic about the  likely repeal of the job killing income tax increases they just passed and the expected worsening of Oregon’s economy, leading to less revenue. It’s just too bad that he isn’t making the connection between the tax increases and killing jobs.

Now, apparently the Governor and the Democrat leadership of the Oregon Legislature are at an impasse on this issue and no one is budging. Well, I don’t buy it friends for two reasons.

First, Governor Ted is not known to stand firm on these threats in times past, so what makes anyone think he will now? In fact, this was acknowledged by Speaker Hunt in the Oregonian story today http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/06/governor_speaker_lock_horns_ov.html . Secondly, the power of the teachers union is absolutely profound in regards to forcing Democrats to take positions they normally would not do and they are going all out on this issue. If you take into account that one of the Governor’s closest advisors is the former head of the Oregon teachers union, it is not hard to predict the outcome of this veto threat.

I predict Governor Ted will cave in shortly.

While I give the Governor high marks for taking a common sense stand on this issue, I don’t expect it to last and the spending spree will continue.