However much we might sympathize with the tough jam in which Governor Baldacci finds himself, there is no excuse — none — for the failure of leadership that the new supplemental budget represents.
Governors are elected to face the music and to lead the state, in good times or in bad. This is a bad time, to be sure, and the state government needs major surgery . . . maybe even an amputation or two.
But instead of facing the music and proposing the kinds of fundamental changes we need to make Maine work again, the Governor’s supplemental budget avoids the tough calls, relies on the most transparent gimmickry and fails the test of leadership.
Here are just a few of the issues that I have raised that the new budget fails to address:
- We need to authorize charter schools, measure teacher performance and pay for innovation, quality and efficiency in pre-K-12 education.
- We should merge our community college and university systems, so that we can better prepare our kids for jobs in Maine and in the knowledge economy at costs we can afford.
- We ought to reduce the number of non-profit organizations under contract to DHHS from 7,000 (!) to a more rational and manageable number that will deliver needed services at less cost.
- Let’s put an end to mandatory vehicle inspections, a leftover program from days when cars were not nearly as safe and reliable as they are today.
- It’s time to come to grips with the runaway costs of health care in Maine by replacing the Dirigo and MaineCare programs with a new framework that provides access to essential health care services for every Maine citizen at a cost that we can afford. (Does Governor Baldacci really believe that the new federal legislation will cure this problem for us?)
Instead of proposing the kinds of major surgery that the state government needs, the Governor’s new budget prescribes the political equivalent of sugar pills:
- More across-the-board cuts (one of the worst cop-outs of all), including three more government shutdown days. (At this rate, we might as well opt for a part-time government.)
- Tooth Fairy gimmicks like a “new” program to collect overdue taxes and hoped-for but uncommitted additional revenues from Uncle Sam, whose printing press is about to be turned off.
- Robbing Peter to pay Paul by making transfers to the General Fund from special funds like the state employees health insurance fund (thereby adding even more to the $3 billion in unfunded liabilities), the workers’ compensation fund and other cash balances in special-purpose funds. (This makes it look like the Governor learned budgeting from the University of Maine System.)
- Passing the Buck by delaying payments to towns and cities.
- And in a Shell Game that constitutes perhaps the worst example of budget shenanigans, the Governor proposes to make up the last big chunk of what is now estimated to be a $438 million shortfall by “borrowing” $93.5 million from Other Special Revenue Funds on June 30 and then paying it back 24 hours later on July 1. (This would be as if you or I paid our overdue credit card balances with another credit card.)
This budget puts our bond ratings at risk, perpetuates all of the structural deficiencies that caused the problems in the first place and is the strongest possible argument that could be made for a BRAC-type process of government reorganization, a proposal that I made in my announcement speech.
We’ll see what the legislature does with the travesty of a budget that the Governor has turned over to them, but nothing so far suggests that the political parties that got us into this mess are going to get us out of it.
Your critique of the Gov’s budget is probably spot on esp. the “shenanigan” aspects.
I am not sure how “charter schools” have a budget impact except to the extent they result in hiring teachers who are not qualified to teach. But if unions are your target it is a way to weaken them. I suspect that the issue in Maine is more poor pay for teachers than it is the NEA.
I also thought vehicle inspections were self supporting through inspection fees. So don’t know what budget benefit derives from elimination but am certain that inspection, both safety and emssions serves an important public purpose. And in Maine where there are a lot more old cars than in other areas it might actually save lives.