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No
budget, No Pay
By:
George J. Sowards
If
you think Kentucky has an outdated tax system, you should review the state’s
official oath of office. All officeholders – from the governor in Frankfort to
constables in the farthest reaches of the Commonwealth – must renounce …
dueling!
Before lawmakers can be formally seated, they must affirm – usually with some
snickering in the audience – that they “have not fought a duel with deadly
weapons within this State nor out of it.”
When this oath was ratified in 1891, it was obviously more relevant than it is
today. Dueling was used at the time to settle arguments and, in some cases, end
lives. Today, of course, such nonsense is not legal and the oath is meaningless.
After he took the oath, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said it ought to be changed because
it’s not the kind of image the state should be portraying.
However, the oath is causing very little damage to Kentucky’s image when
compared to this year’s verbal sparring between political parties that resulted
in yet another budget fiasco during the 2004 General Assembly session.
Perhaps that oath could be altered to read: “We affirm we never have dueled, and
we swear to pass a budget!”
Instead of getting Kentucky’s fiscal process back on line after not passing a
budget on time since 2000, our elected representatives acted like undisciplined,
unruly school children in the just-completed legislative session.
Some blame the governor. Others claim it’s the fault of David Williams and the
Republican Senate. Still others charge Jody Richards and the House Democrats.
While there may be some dispute about who is most to blame, there is no denying
that the Legislature failed to fulfill its most important obligation. Kentucky’s
constitution makes it clear: Passing a budget is the primary duty of lawmakers.
Fetal homicide bills and constitutional amendments protecting marriage make for
interesting debate. However, the top priority of legislators must be on making
the tough decisions needed to create a reasonable spending plan that provides
necessary government services and encourages economic growth.
During the last two 60-day sessions, used primarily for developing a budget, the
General Assembly looked more like a daycare center without proper supervision
than an august body of statesmen!
And, as usually happens at most daycares, many of the differences of opinion
could easily have easily been resolved.
The variances between the budget proposals were not that far apart, with the
most significant disagreements centered on teachers’ salaries and whether to
tackle tax reform this year.
Initially, Fletcher insisted that “tax modernization” be considered as part of
any budget discussion. The House balked as Democrats, who fear losing more power
to their Republican rivals, do not want any part of a tax debate during an
election year. This argument seems moot since reforming the state’s outdated tax
code has been part of the ongoing political conversation for the past decade.
In an article published by several of the state’s newspapers, Senate President
David Williams, R-Burkesville, wrote that it was “obvious” that House Democrats
“were more interested in the next election than the next generation.” He has a
point.
But neither can Fletcher escape all the blame. The governor, who is training on
the job, submitted his plan late in the session – too late, some say, for
lawmakers to properly deliberate its details.
Perhaps nothing demonstrates the lack of compromise and political goodwill
during the 2004 legislative session more than the issue of teachers’ raises.
Fletcher proposed a 4.5 percent increase during the next biennium. Democrats say
it needs to be at least 7.5 percent because the governor plans to require
teachers to pay for more of their health insurance.
If the politicians cannot resolve a 3-percent difference, how can we hope that
they will ever act to realize our grander dream of creating a better Kentucky
for future generations?
Establishing effective policy requires compromise, which usually entails setting
aside partisanship and personal agendas in order to complete the people’s work.
Alas, such statesmanship is in short supply.
A few years ago, many of these same politicians convinced Kentuckians to approve
annual – and costly – legislative sessions. They told us that doing so would
increase the effectiveness – and lower the price – of state government. Neither
has happened since the votes on that constitutional amendment were counted.
Perhaps what politicos of both parties in Frankfort need is a healthy dose of
free-market logic: If you don’t pass a budget, you don’t get paid!
Without a doubt, such a policy would make some of our lawmakers mad enough to
duel. Even that might be worth it if they get something productive accomplished
before taking it outside.
-- George J. Sowards is a successful entrepreneur and a member of the board of
directors of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions
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