Does our state government create fiscal cruelty?

The Sherwood Gazette, Dec 24, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

By Rep. Matt Wingard (R-Wilsonville)

Oregon’s ruling elite claim to care about the health and well-being of all citizens. Yet, past mismanagement of our state’s finances and the Governor’s 2009-11 budget are the cruel products of dysfunctional and manipulative non-leadership in our state’s capitol.

The state government has nearly $1 billion more in revenue than in the previous two-year budget, and state revenues are currently on pace to increase by 7 percent. The Legislature’s top revenue analyst recently told me that over the long term Oregon State revenues grow by an annual average of 6 to 6.5 percent.

Despite our increasing revenue, analysts estimate the state is $1.4 billion short to maintain programs at current levels. While the governor proposes increased spending and higher taxes, he calls for painful cuts to programs important for low-income senior citizens and other vulnerable Oregonians.

The Governor’s budget illustrates state politics at its very worst. If the Legislature adopts this fiscal blueprint, it will continue to reward special interests while punishing those who depend on vital services to survive. Seniors will lose in-home care, while large donors to Democrats are being spared the worst of the cuts. Those who “pay to play” are the biggest winners.

It didn’t have to be this way. In 2007, the state had $2.7 billion in new revenue, a 20-percent increase over the previous two-year budget. The Legislature passed on the opportunity to fund vital government programs with a reasonable 12 to 13 percent increase, setting the rest aside for a possible economic downturn. Had they done that, neither horrible service cuts nor tax and fee increases would be necessary in the next state budget.

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