By Chris Neeley

The liberal press still doesn't get it when it comes to tax cuts, spending deficits, and revenue.

Last week, the News and Observer in Raleigh printed an editorial titled, "The Money Crunch."

The premise of the opinion piece is that the budget problems in North Carolina are due to a lack of sufficient government revenue.

Obviously, the opinionated writers down on McDowell Street, the News and Observer's headquarters in Raleigh, have apparently bought the spin coming out of the offices of the law makers down on Jones Street

Ironically, McDowell Street and Jones Streets intersect in downtown Raleigh. How fitting.

For more than five years, we have heard the politicians complain that our state does not have enough revenue to pay the bills of government.

And for five years, a majority of the major newspapers in our state have bought and promoted their spin.

The truth is, the media elites and the politicians are both wrong.

As we have said many times before, our state has a spending problem not a revenue problem.

For more than a decade, the politicians on Jones Street have spent more than a billion dollars each year in new spending programs resulting in higher taxes for the taxpayers.

North Carolinians now pay the highest corporate and personal income taxes in the Southeast -- ninth highest in the Nation. Our combined sales tax is twelfth highest in the country, the gas tax is currently fifth highest and our debt has quadrupled since 1996.

To make matters worse, the General Assembly is proposing a budget that would increase taxes on a family of four by more than $800.

And what's the News and Observer's solution?

They want to increase taxes even more...on internet transactions, a continuation of the temporary income and sales tax. In fact they want to expand the sales tax to include almost everything you need to live.

However, when the General Assembly and the Governor proposed raising taxes on newspapers, the News and Observer, with the help of their high paid lobbyist, had the tax removed.

So it's ok to raise taxes on hard working North Carolinians as long as taxes aren't raised on the News and Observer.

How hypocritical, but typical of the liberal press.

The News and Observer says we need a long-term solution to heal the state's financial needs. I agree.

The problem is our leaders do not.

If they did, then they would have supported the Taxpayer Bill of Rights Amendment (TABOR) offered in both the Senate and House this year. A TABOR would limit spending to the rate of inflation plus population growth and fund our priorities like education, roads, healthcare and public safety. Most importantly, it would cut taxes for our citizens.

Unfortunately, our leaders chose to ignore the problem and the solution by not allowing a vote on TABOR this session. In fact, the TABOR bill in the Senate was sent to a committee that hasn't met in two years!

The News and Observer is right about one thing: "It's past time for the state's leaders to show some real leadership on this."

The question is, do they have the courage?