I don't think the house or senate leadership has much to be proud of.  I disagree about the credit rating.  Credit rating is important if you want to collateralize a 60 billion dollar, economically questionable gas line, but for the most part this argument is a red herring because the state currently has almost 80 billion dollars in the bank.  (I will concede that a lower rating makes paying back current borrowed money more expensive, but the bigger issue is why we have borrowed money in the first place.)