Monday, November 10, 2008
POUND FOOLISH
As Benjamin Franklin said in Poor Richard’s Almanac, one can be penny wise and pound foolish. Such has been the case with the republican-led Oklahoma legislature these past few sessions.
The legislature has ignored and postponed obvious fiscal problems as they have gone merrily along the path of tax cutting and pleasing their base. Maybe someone should hang a sign over their head, reminiscent of the last national campaign, saying “the state first” or “the people first.” This would complete the circle of hypocrisy.
The state is moving steadily backward, falling behind its peers. Public education is hanging last, or is it second or third from last, in financing. A lucrative private prison industry is thriving in Oklahoma at taxpayer expense because the legislature will not provide funds for state prisons. They won’t stop putting people in prisons with their tough on crime stance, but they will not provide alcohol and drug rehab services nor will they provide domestic abuse or child protection services as needed.
This past week the higher education system asked for money to operate the colleges and universities so as not to have to keep raising tuition and creating financial difficulties for Oklahoma students and families. One of our nicer republican legislators countered with the word that common education needs money and prisons need money, so there’s a problem.
He could have added that roads and highways need money, but that the legislature is too cheap to provide any of it. Oklahoma voters are too short sighted either to vote the necessary taxes (such as the gas tax referendum), or to get rid of the tax cutters.
While state services are suffering, the legislature’s method of financing capital building needs and highway improvements has been passage of bonds payable from future operating funds. This just puts off paying the bill, without any new revenue in to cover the expense as it comes due.
What has been happening to tuition in Oklahoma’s colleges and universities during the last ten years is disgraceful. President Boren points out that five years earlier, state appropriations supplied half his budget needs. Now it has 16% from the state, and even less for medical programs. Not too many years ago, state appropriations supplied 80% of the operating funds for two-year colleges. Now it is about 50%.
The state’s universities are no longer affordable for the average family without financial aid. Even the two-year colleges, once nicknamed “opportunity colleges” because of low cost, are no longer affordable to students from working families without government loans and financial aid.
Our young people are finishing college deeper in debt because we won’t pay our fair share of the cost of public higher education.
With all the economic data showing that educational levels, as well as quality of educational services, are the greatest boon to growth and prosperity, no deference is shown to that reality. Republicans do not recognize education as an investment rather than just another expense.
What do we hear from republican legislative leaders about their agenda for the upcoming session?
Nothing encouraging or progressive is being said, unfortunately. Instead, we hear them talking of their same old agenda – reforming workers’ comp so as to make it easier on employers and harder on workers, and the twin of this -- which is to keep consumers out of the courts so they cannot sue businesses or service providers for damages perpetrated on the public.
Then, of course, there is always talk of their “family values” agenda, which translates into putting government into the midst of family affairs, particularly women’s private and personal reproductive decisions.
Sometimes conservatives may play a useful role in society by limiting the rate of progress or influencing the direction of change, but typically they do poorly at actually governing. They have no program to assist people in making progress.
The only progressive programs hatched by republicans are those geared to help business, often at the expense of the people. Of course, they must strive always to keep their right wing religious constituency intact by attempting to legislate religious tenets into law.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
The legislature has ignored and postponed obvious fiscal problems as they have gone merrily along the path of tax cutting and pleasing their base. Maybe someone should hang a sign over their head, reminiscent of the last national campaign, saying “the state first” or “the people first.” This would complete the circle of hypocrisy.
The state is moving steadily backward, falling behind its peers. Public education is hanging last, or is it second or third from last, in financing. A lucrative private prison industry is thriving in Oklahoma at taxpayer expense because the legislature will not provide funds for state prisons. They won’t stop putting people in prisons with their tough on crime stance, but they will not provide alcohol and drug rehab services nor will they provide domestic abuse or child protection services as needed.
This past week the higher education system asked for money to operate the colleges and universities so as not to have to keep raising tuition and creating financial difficulties for Oklahoma students and families. One of our nicer republican legislators countered with the word that common education needs money and prisons need money, so there’s a problem.
He could have added that roads and highways need money, but that the legislature is too cheap to provide any of it. Oklahoma voters are too short sighted either to vote the necessary taxes (such as the gas tax referendum), or to get rid of the tax cutters.
While state services are suffering, the legislature’s method of financing capital building needs and highway improvements has been passage of bonds payable from future operating funds. This just puts off paying the bill, without any new revenue in to cover the expense as it comes due.
What has been happening to tuition in Oklahoma’s colleges and universities during the last ten years is disgraceful. President Boren points out that five years earlier, state appropriations supplied half his budget needs. Now it has 16% from the state, and even less for medical programs. Not too many years ago, state appropriations supplied 80% of the operating funds for two-year colleges. Now it is about 50%.
The state’s universities are no longer affordable for the average family without financial aid. Even the two-year colleges, once nicknamed “opportunity colleges” because of low cost, are no longer affordable to students from working families without government loans and financial aid.
Our young people are finishing college deeper in debt because we won’t pay our fair share of the cost of public higher education.
With all the economic data showing that educational levels, as well as quality of educational services, are the greatest boon to growth and prosperity, no deference is shown to that reality. Republicans do not recognize education as an investment rather than just another expense.
What do we hear from republican legislative leaders about their agenda for the upcoming session?
Nothing encouraging or progressive is being said, unfortunately. Instead, we hear them talking of their same old agenda – reforming workers’ comp so as to make it easier on employers and harder on workers, and the twin of this -- which is to keep consumers out of the courts so they cannot sue businesses or service providers for damages perpetrated on the public.
Then, of course, there is always talk of their “family values” agenda, which translates into putting government into the midst of family affairs, particularly women’s private and personal reproductive decisions.
Sometimes conservatives may play a useful role in society by limiting the rate of progress or influencing the direction of change, but typically they do poorly at actually governing. They have no program to assist people in making progress.
The only progressive programs hatched by republicans are those geared to help business, often at the expense of the people. Of course, they must strive always to keep their right wing religious constituency intact by attempting to legislate religious tenets into law.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
