Thought of the Day - 12/14/2009

This week is shaping up to be the start of a lengthy discussion about revenue and spending on Beacon Hill. And if you ask me, it’s a discussion that’s long overdue.

It all comes down to one big question: how much money do we realistically expect our state to collect in the coming months, and how much of that money do we feel comfortable spending?

Lawmakers will hold a hearing on Wednesday to start trying to forecast revenue collections for next fiscal year, in preparation for crafting a responsible budget in spring. But at the same time, as this editorial in today’s Boston Herald points out, Beacon Hill leaders are still working behind closed doors to determine how much money the state is lacking in the current fiscal and what to do about the shortfall.

According to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the state still faces a $300 million to $500 million shortfall in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget. The Patrick administration seems not to be fully prepared to address this shortfall by making further budget cuts. If anything, there seems to be a desire on Patrick’s part to fill the gap by spending money from our state’s Rainy Day Fund or from one-time federal payments. These monies might get us through our day-to-day problems, but these one-time fixes are unsustainable and they actually tend to get us into even deeper trouble down the road.

And according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, that’s exactly where we are heading. The group predicts a budget chasm of $3 billion next fiscal year, and addressing that structural deficit will require even deeper budget cuts than we’ve already seen.

These discussions are both necessary and appropriate for us to be able to balance our budget this year and beyond, and to make responsible decisions about spending money. I hope that Beacon Hill leaders will follow the advice of experts they hear from this week and start making the tough decisions that are required of us to address revenue shortfalls. The most important thing our state can do to get us through this current fiscal crisis is to bring our spending to within the limits of available revenues, and to prioritize those cuts so that administrative expenses and frivolous programs are eliminated while essential services are preserved.

What do you think? I’d like to hear from you. Please post a comment below.

Thought of the Day - 12/01/09

It’s no secret that the Legislature is on a winter recess during which controversial business will not be debated or voted on in formal session.

But now there’s news that consideration of certain issues between now and the beginning of January might very well be shrouded in secrecy.

According to today’s Boston Globe, Governor Patrick met with House Speaker DeLeo and Senate President Murray yesterday and got an agreement that certain important legislative issues will be taken up by the Legislature early in January. Speaker DeLeo also reportedly promised to hold a House caucus session over the next few weeks to discuss a pending education reform bill.

I think it’s important that we take action on the education reform bill and other pending matters sooner rather than later, and I give credit to legislative leaders for wanting to move forward. There are millions of federal “Race to the Top” dollars on the line, and Massachusetts needs to act quickly to take advantage of them.

I also think it’s important that we oppose the Governor’s efforts to expand his so-called “9C Authority” to make budget cuts. The Governor is using the threat of deeper cuts in front-line social services to justify cutting local aid. But this isn’t a fair choice, because the Governor hasn’t cut back administrative bureaucracy first. Aside from the fact that cities and towns depend on local aid to survive, we should not be considering local aid cuts to save social services so long as waste and duplication at the administrative level are allowed to persist.

But these debates and others like them should take place in front of the public, not in a closed-door members-only caucus.

The very purpose for having a legislature in the first place is to provide a public forum for the thoughtful discussion of differing viewpoints on political issues. It’s a place for policy questions to be asked and answered, for proposals of change to be considered, and for positions to be taken by elected officials. It’s important for those discussions all to take place in full light of day for reasons of public accountability and for the sake of including citizens and their viewpoints in the process.

I still believe the best course of action would be for the Legislature to come back into session between now and the end of December to debate education reform, proposals to help balance our budget, criminal justice reforms, and other pending matters. There’s too much at stake for us to allow these issues to lie dormant until January, or to remain just the subject of closed-door policy meetings at the State House.

What do you think? Please post a comment below to join the discussion.