Because local Charlotte pols are positively addicted to blaming all their woes on Raleigh, here’s a dose of reality explaining that the horror stories of state budget cuts are greatly blown up. As the Hoodmaster General explains, we don’t even know at the moment exactly what the state will spend on health and human services items, a segment that has many counties fretting about “cuts.” What we do know is that state will spend many millions more than the official “cut” number of $3.9 billion now in the budget thanks to federal “stimulus” money.

At least the revenue side is much clearer, if more depressing. As we’ve said repeatedly, the dons in Raleigh were hell bent on getting to $20b. somehow. Hood details how this was done:

The true spending total for FY 2008-09 was about $20.3 billion, a 5 percent cut from the authorized budget. … Now move ahead to the 2009-10 fiscal year. Budget officials projected that preexisting state taxes and fees would bring in approximately $17.6 billion. As I said, another $1.3 billion was available in new federal funds, yielding total revenue just shy of $19 billion.

Here’s how the legislature and governor responded in the new budget deal. They approved $1 billion in higher tax rates, raised $56 million in fees, swiped $83 million in local revenues, transferred $98 million from other state accounts, and assumed that increased tax-code enforcement would squeeze another $210 million from taxpayers. These actions added $1.4 billion in revenue, all immediately spent.

The net result? The true General Fund spending total this year will be just over $20.3 billion – slightly above the true spending total for 2008-09.

That’s right. Total state spending went up not down. And it did so with somewhere between $1.5b. to $2b. worth of funds that may not be there next year. In other words, what do you think will happen when revenue projections next year say $18-19b. will come in and there is no special federal money to tap?

Well, if spending won’t be cut, there is only one other option.

Update: Some more specific numbers coming thru, with HHS spending up some $33m. over last year, the UNC system up some $160m. over last year. Where’d the money come from? From reducing spending on K-12 education by $330m. Huh?