 |
|
|
| 12/18/2008 11:45:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article
Comment on this article | Editor: Will governor, legislature work for people of Oregon, or bow to unions?
By Andy Martin
Wallowa County Chieftain
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has a difficult challenge in the face of declining state revenues.
With two years left in office, he is simultaneously seeking to create a legacy, endear himself to the union workers who have generously supported him (and he in return), and at the same time balance a budget that he once anticipated would be fueled by a rebounding economy.
He is probably also aware that while his political party has a lock on both houses of the legislature and every single statewide elected office, if things get really out of hand, there is nowhere to look for blame but in the mirror.
Seeking to attach any blame to the Republicans would be futile. There aren't enough of them around Salem to cause him any grief.
No, this is a Democratic show and the governor needs to produce if the party intends to continue its dominance.
Kulongoski, is also probably regretting his largesse in terms of recent salary raises, particularly those granted department heads. With Americans focused on corporate greed, it's hard to swallow 30 and 40 percent wage hikes for top executives in this economy.
The governor, like his cadre of legislators, were gifted millions of dollars in campaign funds by the public employee unions. That figure is somewhere around $9 million, according to The Oregonian. In return, they have expectations and those expectations aren't focused on programs for the elderly, highways, prisons, or transportation.
Dave Hunt, who succeeded Jeff Merkley as speaker of Oregon's House of Representatives, says his party is ready to tackle the state's big issues.
According to the unions, those big issues include collective bargaining rights, higher salaries for state workers, more individuals on the state payroll, and paid family leave.
Those agenda items are on a collision course with the initial proposal from the governor which calls for state workers to take off eight days without pay during the next two years and forego a salary increase. It will be fascinating to see how that plays out once the legislature gets back in town.
House Minority Leader Bruce Hanna has warned that a supermajority under Hunt's control could allow the Democrats to raise taxes and fees and impose new regulations on their own.
Hunt in return hasn't shied from either possibility. He says a majority of Oregonians are supportive of issues that will result in more taxes and fees. And, adds Hunt, considering the meltdown on Wall Street, how could anyone be against more regulation?
If there are Oregonians "supportive of issues that result in more taxes and fees," we haven't been hearing from them regularly in Eastern Oregon. The people we talk to think the state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.
Kulongoski's budget proposal calls for $2 billion in new taxes and fees while still leaving behind tens of thousands of low income residents and the elderly. Kulongoski calls his new budget "a visionary statement about where he wants to lead Oregon."
The budget includes a gas tax increase, 20 percent increases in hunting and fishing licenses, tripling DMV fees, and increases in fees for contractors, nurses and anyone else who needs a state license.
We don't have issues with paying state workers a fair wage and providing them with benefits commensurate with their counterparts in the private sector. But when times get tough in the business community, the unfortunate consequence is cutbacks in the workforce. While that doesn't fit into the union agenda, it's where the savings are.
Perhaps the biggest problem facing the governor and the legislature come January won't be balancing the fiscal aspects of state government. It will, instead, be balancing their political debt with their moral obligation to the citizens of Oregon.
Editorials reflect the view of the Wallowa County Chieftain. Send comments to (amartin@wallowa.com).
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
|
|
|
