State Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ellisville) visited the Laurel Lions Club Thursday afternoon, addressing such issues as the state budget, voter ID legislation and education.

Calling the budget “very disappointing,” McDaniel said tax collections in October were down $28.6 million or 6.7 percent year-to-date.

“For the fiscal year, it could be upwards of $400 to $500 million,” he said. “That’s a lot of money.”

McDaniel said legislators are now looking at the so-called “rainy day” fund, which has nearly $300 million in it for critical use. He said he’s not for dipping into that fund just yet because “things will probably get worse.”

“I believe 2010 will be the worst part of the downfall,” he said. “Economies grow and expand and then there’s a recessionary period. Ultimately, we’ll come out of it. I believe by the last quarter of next year, but the recovery will be very slow. It will be very gradual.”

McDaniel was quick to point out that he does not support a tax increase.

“Not during these times,” he added. “People need to keep more of their hard earned money.”

McDaniel said a key cause of the recession is that people are uncertain of the future and scared to spend their money.

“A new America is rising up that is different than when we were children,” he said. “We have a $11.6 trillion debt which has been accrued since the inception of our republic 200 years ago. Under the current administration’s policies, we will double that debt in the next 10 years. We can’t afford the government we have and what’s being proposed in Washington, D.C.”

McDaniel said federal government promises would equal a 140 percent tax increase and a 51 percent decrease in service by 2050.

“That’s less money we have to create, invest and hire people,” he said. “When did capitalism become a dirty word? Even the poor in our country are the wealthiest poor in the world.”

McDaniel said a fine place to start cutbacks on a state level would be the government, noting he favors fewer senators and congressmen if that is required.

“It’s a fine place to start,” he said. “When the people are suffering, the government should not prosper. We should make more of an effort to be more lean and have a more respectable level of spending.

“Now is the time to go find the budget, find any waste, fraud or abuse and eliminate it once and for all,” McDaniel added. “We could have a deficit the likes we haven’t seen since the (Gov. Ronnie) Musgrove administration.”

McDaniel said one of the key issues he supports is voter ID, where only those presenting a driver’s license would be allowed to vote.