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Budget issues are not always the sexiest of political issues.

First, it involves a lot of numbers.

Second, it involves a lot of details.

Third, it is difficult to really look at the overall issue and come to one blanket conclusion on it, mainly due to all of those pesky numbers and details mentioned above.

But here is a simple fact: Iowa would be in much worse shape to absorb the economic pain that will come with the Coronavirus pandemic if Democrats were in charge of the budget.

On March 20, Iowans for Tax Relief shared an article that said Iowa’s state government could operate for 37 days on reserve funds, according to a PEW research study. That was the 13th highest in the country.

Republicans have been intentional when it comes to not spending every dollar the state collects. This effort has often come at the expense of Democrats criticizing the GOP for not spending enough money.

Captain Hook could count the number of days on his left hand that a Democrat in Des Moines doesn’t clamor for more money for something.

In 2019, the Iowa legislature agreed on a $7.643 billion budget that accounted for 97.39 percent of ongoing revenue. Iowa law limits spending to 99 percent of revenue.

The budget agreement from 2019 filled all reserve accounts and left a balance of nearly $300 million.

Imagine how things would look if Republicans weren’t consistently crafting responsible budgets.

With 2020 being an election year, there’s good reason for budget issues to be front and center. If Iowans needed a reminder for why responsible budgeting matters, this COVID-19 crisis has certainly served as that reminder.

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