... and fiscally wrong; Overrides just put it `on the tab'.

PositionEDITORIAL - Editorial

COLUMN: In our opinion

The Legislature's decision to restore $40 million in funding toward health-insurance costs for a group of legal immigrants - and to toss another $2.5 million to Zoo New England - marks another retreat in the seemingly endless campaign to instill a modicum of fiscal responsibility on Beacon Hill.

The cuts necessary to bring the fiscal 2010 state budget into balance were deep ones, involving painful sacrifices for local municipalities and schools, social service agencies and their clients, the court system, and many other constituencies. But lawmakers and the governor had no choice. Spending, whether in a household or at the state or federal levels, must be cognizant of economic conditions and must produce a balanced budget. Those truths, which the governor and Legislature reached through such arduous means, were simply ignored Wednesday, with lawmakers approving $80 million in spending overrides, even as revenue projections continue to plummet.

The restoration of money for Zoo New England underscores another truth: Cute animals and kids play better in the public forum than money for probation officers or...

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