| |
Our budget problem offers us
an opportunity to commit to a prioritized state government
I’ll admit it – I’m
somewhat new to the Legislature. I’ve been serving the people of the
18th Legislative District for just over a year. But one of the
advantages of being relatively new to the Legislature is that I approach
my job with fresh eyes – eyes that emphasize people over politics.
As I watched the Legislature pass a budget last year that spent
twice its tax growth rate, I clearly understood our state was headed for
a cliff. I joined in a growing chorus of voices demanding that we, as
the people’s representatives, set clear priorities and fund only those
priorities. After all, taxpayer dollars are limited.
Unfortunately, no one in the majority party has been willing to put the
brakes on our state’s runaway $8 billion spending spree. With the
inevitable implosion of the subprime market, after three “stimulus”
plans by Congress and with our state’s decisions to spend more than it
should – our state now faces an $8 billion budget shortfall.
We
could have prevented a large portion of our budget shortfall. As we work
toward solutions, I believe we need to keep a no-new-taxes pledge so
that we do not end up in the same situation in the future.
I
commended Gov. Gregoire for introducing a no-new-taxes budget in
December. Unfortunately, since then, what I’ve seen is a delicate dance
and Democratic legislators in Olympia calling for tax increases. The
problem is that core state government priorities – education, public
safety, transportation, and safety net programs – have all been pushed
to the edge or, in some cases, shoved off the cliff. For example, more
than 40,000 folks in need may be kicked out of our safety net basic
health program. Also, many vulnerable seniors may lose their important
long-term care.
Yet, at the same time, legislator pet projects
and other non-critical state agencies and programs continue to receive
funding.
Washington’s businesses are also feeling the burden.
Government has twisted employers into so many rules and regulations that
they are no longer able to bear the burdens – and our economy is
bleeding jobs because of it. For example, too many small-business owners
continue to pay higher than average unemployment insurance and labor and
industry rates.
Now that the state is facing an $8 billion
budget shortfall and a declining economy, the primary solution coming
from the majority party is to increase taxes. This approach would surely
have a chilling effect on every hard-working family and employer in the
state. Adding insult to injury, the majority party knows it will not
have the two-thirds vote in the Legislature necessary to pass a tax
increase. It seems they will likely say “let them eat cake” by tying
core state government responsibilities to tax increases, and then
kicking the decisions to voters to approve later this year.
This
is no way to lead. Taxpayers did not create the problem – and they
should not be expected to bail out state government leaders’ poor
budgeting choices. I recently hosted a telephone town hall with more
than 1,500 residents from our area. We asked poll questions about taxes
and the feedback from people was absolutely clear: Don’t raise our
taxes.
The first thing the Legislature should do is make the
commitment to not spend more money than available taxpayer dollars. It
sounds crazy, but this hasn’t been the case the last four years.
Families and employers can’t budget that way, and neither should state
government.
The second thing the Legislature should do is scrub
the budget of all unnecessary spending. We must examine every state
agency and program closely and make sure they are efficient and meeting
intended goals. If they are not meeting these criteria, then elimination
should take place.
Our budget problem offers us an opportunity
to commit to a prioritized state government and close the door on
wasteful state spending. I see our priorities as the economy, education,
public safety, transportation, and protection of our most vulnerable
citizens – and our state has collected enough of your tax dollars to
fully fund these priorities.
Finally, the state should never
make promises it cannot keep. We must be true to our word. Instead of a
“let them eat cake” attitude, we need to work together to keep our
families and employers healthy and prosperous.
Rep. Jaime Herrera, R-Ridgefield,
represents the 18th District and can be contacted at
herrera.jaime@leg.wa.gov.
# # #
For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
|
|