A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. -- Galloway has some great lines today.

From Jim Galloway's Political Insider in the AJC in a post entitled "There’s the government you need, and the government you’re willing to pay for":

The sober language of reality is slowly spreading through the state Capitol.

They’re looking for $1.2 billion or more that can be sliced away, or paid for with new funds — be they called tax hikes, fee increases, revenue enhancements or tuition maximizations.

We are used to Republican rhetoric from Washington, where a congressman can rail against out-of-control federal spending from dawn to dusk — and in the evening still take credit for the money that Democrats send the way of his voters.

But in the state Capitol, where the GOP is actually in charge of the machinery, Republicans have gone quiet as they grope for the line that divides sloganeering from real life — the balance between what you and I need from government, and what we’re willing to pay.

There are tipping points in the argument between more budget cuts and the need to preserve what we have.

On the other hand, many Republican lawmakers — all of whom serve part-time, without much staff — are still of the opinion that, even after seven years of GOP control, they don’t have a firm grasp on state spending.