State Auditor Richard Johnson warns legislators and the Governor aren’t acknowledging the full extent of the state’s fiscal problem. Rather than approving about 21-million dollars in spending in tomorrow’s “special session”, Johnson says legislators should make about 200-million more in budget cuts — on top of the 200-million Governor Vilsack’s already ordered.Johnson says September 11th has had a bigger economic impact than legislators and the Governor are willing to accept. And Johnson says the economic signs were there long before 9/11. He says it’s been evident since last January.If lawmakers don’t heed his advice, Johnson predicts they’ll have to come back for a December “special session” because things’ll get so bad, legislators won’t be able to wait ’til January when they convene in regular session.
