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April 5, 2002 Keeping Our Fiscal House in Order As any good farmer will tell you, some years you have a bumper crop and some years it rains so long and hard that you don’t even have the chance to get out in the field. That’s exactly the situation we’ve faced this year with the state budget -- the rain has been coming down in buckets, and now we need to figure out a way to make ends meet until we can lay in a new crop. When a year looks lean, I think that same farmer would tell you two things: after you take care of your most pressing bills, put a little aside to for the future. And above all else, pay off your debts from the past. That’s how the Missouri House of Representatives approached our budget priorities in the passage of a budget that will address critical needs and still invest in our future with due consideration in paying our debts. I am proud that House members advanced a budget that fulfills our promise of earlier this year -- that is, fully funding of elementary and secondary education for all public schools in the state. Total, House members were required to make the tough decisions and come up with $175 million to make good on that very important promise. By funding our education system and providing the best possible education for the children of our state, we are indeed investing in the future. It is through a quality education that we train the next generation of doctors, teachers, scientists, engineers and yes, even lawmakers. Neglecting our education system would be more than shortsighted -- it would mean neglecting our responsibility to the people of Missouri. We cannot allow that to happen. The budget approved by the House includes the fulfillment of a second promise we made several months ago -- creation of a prescription drug program for low-income senior citizens. The program, which is expected to cost nearly $74 million, will replace an existing prescription drug tax credit program that was too costly and ineffective in providing a safety net for our senior citizens. Applications are being accepted now for the new program, which is expected to allow our senior citizens access to the medications they need at prices they can afford. We owe our senior citizens a tremendous debt, as it was through their determination and sacrifice that our nation survived two world wars and emerged with the strength to confront a new enemy that again threatens our liberty and our way of life. It is our duty to see to it they never have to be faced with a decision between prescription medications and food. It is a debt we owe and one we gladly repay; a promise made, a promise kept. There are other important elements in the $19.5 billion state budget, such $27 million to open a new state prison and get criminals off our street, and additional funding for job training programs, which will help our citizens qualify for new, higher paying jobs during the current recession. And we were able to accomplish this in the face of declining revenues, a nationwide recession, and the need to cut hundreds of millions of dollars to make the budget balance. I remain disappointed at members of the minority party, who have refused to admit we were in the midst of a budget crisis. Instead, they mimicked the phrase “it’s a spending crisis,” and continued to say it over and over, until the phrase had no meaning. But just the same, not one single member of the minority party offered a solution during more than 20 hours of floor debate -- they didn’t suggest a single cut. And when it came time to vote on the 12 bills that made up the state budget, practically every bill passed by at least a three-to-one margin. In spite of the revenue shortfalls that defined Missouri’s budget crisis, members of the House have approved a plan -- a fiscally responsible plan -- that address our critical needs and keeps a watchful eye toward the future, while still paying homage to the past. Perhaps next year the sun will come out, the ground will dry up, and we’ll be harvesting a bumper crop. But even if we don’t, it’s good to know the Missouri “Show-Me” attitude will be there to back us up. | |||||
Paid for by Kreider for Senator.
Bobby Neal Jr., Treasurer. Not at taxpayer's expense.
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