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As our legislators return to Olympia, they must feel like the Bill Murray character in the movie “Groundhog Day.” Each year they show up at Olympia and find that – once again – revenue falls far short of expenditures. Let’s hope this year they find a way to awaken from this bad dream.

To start, legislators should begin distinguishing short-from long-term budget problems. Short-term, cyclical problems are caused by a weak economy. Once the cycle’s downside ends, this problem vanishes. While we still need to fix cyclical shortfalls, a temporary solution may be all we need.