Many, many years ago my father frequently took me on hikes in the woods. One of his rules: don’t come back on the same path you walked in.
So, before starting the journey finding landmarks and knowing the general lay of the land became very important. Sometimes we found a new path, other times we went through the woods (the hikes were not in tick and chigger season) to get back. The lesson, of course, was to know where you were as well as where you were going.
The super majority in the Missouri legislature never met my dad.
Today – despite valiant attempts by Democrats – the House of Representatives perfected what they call the Fiscal Year 2020 budget. Among the uh-ohs…
- The budget requires taking $100 million from already lean General Revenue to give to the Missouri Department of Transportation for the accidental governor’s pet bridges in rural areas.
- School transportation gets $5 million more, well short of the $10 million proposed a few weeks ago and a good $30 million below what districts need to restore their purchasing power.
- Despite an on-going shortfall in revenue this year (5.33% below expectations to date), the budget projects a highly unlikely 2% increase in revenue for next year.
Yes, fixing bad bridges remains a good idea. Yet, that $100 million comes from other vital, underfunded efforts such as higher education, public health, or aid to those with developmental disabilities.
And, with school transportation funding light expect even more school districts to go to four-day weeks. Yes, test scores show that’s not a good idea. Don’t worry: Missouri is working on a new test.
The core problem?
Republican legislators are terrified of raising revenue.
Remember, thanks to Wayfair v. South Dakota easy money in sales taxes revenue from internet sales is just a few votes away. And, even with the Hancock rules, the legislature could increase revenue by $100 million a year through new levies without a vote of the people. (Since the state is $4 billion a year below the Hancock lid, that $100 million won’t trigger refund checks.) More money for vital services could be found – just not by Missouri Republicans.
So, instead of having a hard discussion on revenue and spending, today the House just re-arranged the deck chairs.
Last week I talked with Democratic lawmakers and a couple of budget wonks about Missouri’s situation. All of us agree that things are bad and will get worse. While there is a range of opinion of how deep in the hole the state will fall, all agree that the process is broken. The Republican leadership is lost, unable to deliver a realistic and balanced budget – much less provide the services Missourians need and expect.
All of us will suffer. The young, the disabled, the old and the struggling will suffer the most.
I always suspected that a part of my dad’s emphasis on knowing where you are came from his Army days as a paratrooper. Paratroopers want to land in a particular field. Pilots often think getting the parachutes to the right continent is good enough.
Obviously, the Missouri legislature has more pilots than paratroopers.
Glenn