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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Ruchti: ‘We can’t just play defense’

Rep. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello (Betsy Russell)
Rep. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello (Betsy Russell)

Rep. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, the House assistant minority leader, said tax cuts in recent years have helped put the state in the revenue crunch it's in right now. "There's millions of tax revenue dollars that we don't have now that we desperately need," Ruchti told the ATI conference. "My guess is the votes would have come out much differently if we knew then what we know now." He added to some laughter, "I think it's very important, whenever you get a chance, to say I told you so."

Ruchti said lawmakers need to look to create and retain jobs, not just make cuts. "We can't just play defense," he said. "I am especially concerned about cuts to higher education." This year's budget debates, he said, "are not going to be easy decisions, and I think Sen. Fulcher and I are in agreement on that."



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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