Gifted?
“Stupidity is a gift from God – use it wisely.” While we’re pretty sure Pope John Paul II wasn’t specifically speaking about the GA in Raleigh, but you could be excused for thinking that to be the case. We’ve seen plenty of examples of stupidity lately in the General Assembly, but not so much the wisdom.
For example, the deceptively-named Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR as it is known in policy circles, has been making the rounds in Raleigh. As many of you know, HB 188 would be incredibly damaging if passed via a constitutional amendment for North Carolina. What it does is “lock in” the state’s current, extraordinarily low revenue levels indefinitely, making recent and proposed state budget cuts permanent. In other words, it would cap state budget spending at today’s level, ignoring population growth, enrollment growth, and program demand across a range of public services and programs.
Had this simply been a crazy idea dreamed-up by a lone legislator, with no track record or documented problems, perhaps we could cut them some slack. However, it is not. When implemented in Colorado a decade ago, it dangerously undermined the state’s education and health systems and the state is still trying to recover those lost investments more than 10 years later.
Need more evidence? Arizona Governor Jan Brewer recently vetoed TABOR legislation in Arizona, indicating how extreme of a proposal it is- and AZ is not exactly a state known for restraint or prudence. If TABOR is too crazy for Arizona, we’re comfortable in saying it’s not a good fit for North Carolina.
Had North Carolina implemented TABOR in 1993, the year Colorado implemented the restrictions, the TABOR formula would have reduced North Carolina’s cumulative investment in public structures by more than $35 billion between fiscal year 1993 and the current fiscal year. In fiscal year 2008, state policymakers would have had to cut state appropriations by 23 percent to meet the TABOR limit. Think we’re hurting now? It’s nowhere near as bad as it would have been had TABOR been in place.
TABOR legislation is calendared and set to be heard in the House Judiciary A committee next Wednesday, May 25 at 10am in room 1327 of the Legislative Building. We’ll be there to oppose it, and tell legislators why it is such an overwhelming stupid idea for North Carolina.
Our legislators have doubtlessly been blessed with many gifts, but please guys, more wisdom and less stupid. Please. A dead Pope implores you. And so do we.
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