Massachusetts residents moving north

[seamusnh]

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

Greg W made the claim that the 17.5% spending increase was not really a spending increase, it was the transfer of extra-budgetary spending into the budgetary process. Such a claim should be relatively easy to substantiate.

Yet, GregW has never substantiated his claim. He says that a state rep told him this was true. Gee, I wonder if that state rep was a Democrat???? GregW gets called on this frequently and has never posted anything that backs up his claim....

[Brave Stranger]

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

Aren't you asking Brave Stranger to prove a negative? Prove to me that you didn't steal from Wal-Mart last time you were in there....

That's how claims and evidentiary proof work. Greg W made the claim that the 17.5% spending increase was not really a spending increase, it was the transfer of extra-budgetary spending into the budgetary process. Such a claim should be relatively easy to substantiate. I would begin by providing evidence of extra-budgetary spending under the previous state-administration.

However, proving the oppositie, asking Brave Stranger to prove that in fact no such extra-budgetary spending ever took place... that's impossible. You cannot prove a negative, which is why our criminal system and most intelligent debate functions as it does.

Thanks for putting this in its proper framework. I tried to explain to this poster that the burden was not on me, but he/she was intent on making a personal and political point, and the facts were secondary to what he/she was intending to do.