Today is the first day of the Georgia legislative session and priority #1 is figuring out to balance the state budget.

The state is facing a $2 billion shortfall, so cuts are coming. Where the cuts are made is what is going to be hotly contested. Most Republican lawmakers, they are the majority in Georgia, realize some sacred cows are going to have to be sacrificed. The Democrats on the other hand have made it clear that they are not willing to cut anything and continue to pursue their one note song of raising taxes.

That is the only solution they have for anything. There isn't a lot of original thinking among liberals.

The teachers union has made it very clear that anything related to education is off limits, and the teacher union is all powerful here in Georgia. They are the reason we got our first Republican governor since Reconstruction. The sitting governor, Roy Barnes a Democrat, who was also reportedly on Obama's short list to head the Department of Education, had proposed some reforms in education in Georgia that the teachers union didn't like. You know thinks like accountability and be able to fire poor performing teachers.

The Democrats, and some Republicans however in the state house think they have this thing figured out. Since Obama and the federal government are handing out money like a tele-marketer on a energy drink I V, they plan to cut infrastructure projects, in the hopes, well it isn't really a hope anymore, with the certainty that Barack's Socialist Revitalization Plan is going to replace the funds cut from those projects.

This allows the state lawmakers on the one hand to whine about lacking funds for critical projects that the Democrats have been banging the drum about, bridges and roads, and then allows them to present a much bigger wish list to the federal government.

I am sure this is not unique to Georgia either, and in fact if I was a state lawmaker I would probably be doing the same thing. The only problem is that states that are majority Republican or didn't go into Barack's corner during the election can expect to get very little in the way of funds from the Democrat socialist economic plan. It is the way politics is played in Chicago, and Barack is a product of that environment. Governor Blagojevich is not the only politician in Illinois who plays that game, and he learned it from somebody. Barack know how to play that game too.

In light of all the south bashing that has taken place over the last of couple months, especially by the UAW over the automakers bailout plan, I would caution all southern states to be judicious in just what projects they cut in the hopes of having it replaced by the feds.

If past history is any indicator the majority of infrastructure funds from the Democrat controlled congress, even though they profess there will be no earmarks, will be targeted to the blue states such as Minnesota, California, and New York. The message will be clear, start voting Democrat or forget about getting your share of dollars.

Oh yeah letting a union or two in wouldn't hurt either.