Many of us have been sitting around the dinner table these past few weeks discussing the federal government’s “bail out” of Wall Street. It seemed unfathomable that our elected officials would be willing to take $700 billion from hard working taxpayers to cover bad debt that came about from greedy, irresponsible lending practices.
It was equally hard to believe that our representatives in the State Legislature would increase spending for the fiscal year 2009 budget despite being fully aware of the fact that Massachusetts is facing a $1.3 billion deficit and that the state’s revenue collections were steadily decreasing.
These are two very real, very expensive, and very unfortunate examples of the individuals who have been elected to represent our interests on Capitol Hill and Beacon Hill.
The call for change is ringing loud and clear across our country. However, in order to achieve the change people desire, we must first begin at home.
We elect our governor, state senators, and state representatives to advocate for our best interests, and we expect them to provide quality education, health care, public safety, and economic opportunities. We also expect our legislators to be responsible stewards of our money, but that is where things always seem to go wrong.
We must have faith in the individuals who spend our tax dollars. However, that’s very hard to do when you watch, helplessly, as $700 billion tax dollars are voted away to provide for bailouts or as hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on earmarks and pork barrel spending.
The governor and legislative leaders recently acknowledged that they have known for months that there would be a point where they would need to make adjustments to the fiscal year 2009 budget because of declining revenues.
Budget cuts that are made during a fiscal year are twice as painful, and twice as destructive, as cuts that are made before the fiscal year begins. Our communities, schools, and state programs cannot simply adjust to funding deficiencies. A large portion of their spending plans are based on the state budget.
In essence, the Legislature handed out money they knew they were going to have to take back. What’s worse, they had to raid the commonwealth’s “rainy day” fund in order to provide for all of the new spending they proposed.
To his credit, Governor Patrick vetoed more than $120 million in wasteful spending and earmarks. However, the Legislature has overridden every veto they have taken up, restoring more than $56 million to the state’s budget.
Now, as a result of September revenues coming in below estimates, Massachusetts is facing a $223 million shortfall. We are only in the first quarter of fiscal year 2009 and Governor Patrick is already preparing to make budget cuts using the emergency powers granted to him under his section “9C.”
The Legislature had the knowledge and the opportunity to create a spending plan that would account for revenue losses months before the state budget was passed, yet they looked the other way. The Legislature’s spending habits have placed us all at risk, and a portion of the funding that would have been used to prevent cuts to crucial services has been used to fund earmarks and pet projects so members of the Legislature can tell their constituents they are providing for their districts in order to win re-election.
To increase revenue, ideas about reforming the state’s pension system, dismantling the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and consolidating state agencies are finally being discussed, years after they were proposed by former Governor Mitt Romney, and rejected by the Legislature.
The Democratic Party has held a supermajority in both legislative branches since the late 1990s. They have had the ability to create, reform, consolidate, or dismantle just about any law, regulation, or authority in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, yet little has been proposed, let alone changed.
This coming November we need to elect individuals who will help lead our great state forward, not backward. Individuals who will work to see that all the cities and towns in Massachusetts are treated fairly when it comes to education funding and local aid; individuals who will work for pension reform; individuals who will work to send supplemental revenues back to cities and towns where it does the most good for the most people; and individuals who will work for “us” rather than the special interests.
Change can occur, but first Massachusetts needs to elect new leaders who are willing to embrace it. The majority of our State Legislators are not.
Republican Jon Rockwood, of Walpole, is a candidate for the Bristol and Norfolk State Senate District and is the Walpole Town Moderator.
