John Fail Edwards wants the Legislature to tap the state’s rainy-day fund to help close the state’s budget deficit for the fiscal year. But House Republicans have (for once) been balking at the governor’s suggestion and have suggested actually cutting the budget. But of course, John Fail will have none of that.

So far, the leges aren’t all that willing to tap the rainy day fund.

From the Town Talk:

Carmody, Coussan and McFarland are among a group of 15 to 20 Republicans considered swing votes. Because Republicans are in the majority, Edwards must convince enough of them to join the Democrats.

But so far those members aren’t willing to bend to the governor’s will.

“Right now I don’t see that there’s 70 votes in the House,” Carmody said.

That’s the magic number to secure approval. It’s a threshold even members of the governor’s staff privately concede hasn’t yet been reached, although they say they’re confident lawmakers will come around once reality sets in of the cuts that would be made without access to the fund.

If you’re tired of state legislators refusing to take responsibility for the state’s finances and just kicking the can down the road, you need to get on the phone with your legislator. Call them up and tell them not to dip into the rainy day. Instead, make John Fail and his cronies cut the budget.

Republicans should just file one piece of legislation in the upcoming session. They should simply do a bill that says “The Commissioner of Administration shall make whatever cuts are appropriate to bring the state’s budget into balance.” John Fail got the state in this mess, he should get us out instead of passing the buck to the Legislature and future generations.

Call your legislators and tell them to stand firm and don’t tap the rainy day fund.