Glass Half Full…

In case you missed it, the Consensus Revenue Estimate Hearing was held yesterday at the State House. In what many people could have easily predicted, Massachusetts’ recovery from the ongoing economic downturn is going nowhere fast.

According to Revenue Commissioner Amy Pitter, “although job growth in Massachusetts will exceed the national rate, slowing job growth adds to a litany of economic headwinds facing Governor Deval Patrick and legislative leaders.”

It is becoming more apparent that we as a state are going to have to live within our means for the foreseeable future. As opposed to seeing the economic outlook for the Bay State as the glass being half empty, we must see the glass as half full.

Now more than ever the Legislature needs to tighten its budgetary belt and make sound economic investments and stabilize the jobs market in an otherwise tumultuous economic period. Gone must be the days of reckless and misguided spending. What is needed however is a shift in the paradigm of the state government. A proactive approach to job creation, state savings and other cost-cutting measures is what will help Massachusetts emerge stronger than ever.

It is the intention of the House Republican Caucus to “practice what we preach” and propose a targeted jobs plan aimed at not only returning residents of the Commonwealth to work, but reaffirming Massachusetts as a desirable place to live and work.