Stark times on the homefront

By Staff
Jan. 5, 2003
The Mississippi Legislature convenes its 2003 session on Tuesday under two clouds one filled with dismal finances and the other with political expectations. In this statewide election year, lawmakers must be careful lest the weather produce bad policies for the sake of good politics.
First, to put it simply, there are too few dollars to fund all of the needs of state government and veteran lawmakers are already staking their claims. House Appropriations Chairman Charlie Capps, D-Cleveland, told his hometown newspaper there will be no tax increase this year tax increases are never popular in election years even though he concedes at least a $60 million shortfall in tax collections. The third year of the five-year teacher pay raise will go through, Capps said, also predicting other raises for state employees.
For a state whose leaders say education is a priority, though, the stark reality is that more cuts are proposed in higher education programs  on top of cuts that already are limiting the capability of universities to perform their missions. If education is truly a priority, then the state budget should reflect it.
And, of course, few decisions are made in state government free from the influence of politics. This year, the pressure will be especially keen on the governor and his troops and on possible contenders for the office and their troops. Voters may well be seeking a clearer course that will move Mississippi ahead economically  a political mission that requires leaders and followers.
Mississippi is not broke; the overall budget is likely to be higher than ever. As this session unfolds, we hope our state officials can think creatively of new ideas to put available resources to more productive use.
If not, a number of other candidates will be waiting in the wings with ideas of their own.