By AP
Frankfort, KY – Political observers say the impasse that has stalled the state's financial planning for 2010 to 2012 could become a major election issue. The deadlock between the House and Senate over the budget is highlighting a philosophical difference between the two sides that mirrors a national political landscape.
The Democratically controlled House wants to pass a budget filled with construction projects to create jobs, but the Republican-controlled Senate has balked, saying it is unwilling to add to the state's growing debt.
Laurie Rhodebeck, a political science professor at the University of Louisville, tells the Lexington Herald-Leader that the difference of opinion seems to parallel the national political debate over government spending versus smaller government.