With the state mired in recession, and the financial crisis weighing heavily on taxpayers’ pocketbooks, it is crucial now, more than ever, that state government lessen the burden on middle-class families. To get our economy moving again, we need to rein in spending and reduce the crushing tax burden on everyday citizens and small businesses, currently the most heavily-taxed in the nation. I applaud the governor’s blunt assessment and willingness to confront this problem head-on. We can’t continue to rely on budgetary one-shots and fiscal gimmicks to lift ourselves out of this fiscal mess. We need to reduce spending, plain and simple.