Legislative scorecard

Columbia Daily Tribune

The big advantage of a state political process managed by a clear partisan majority is its decisiveness. This also is its primary disadvantage.

In the session of the Missouri General Assembly just concluded, a number of bills were passed ahead of time that traditionally would have taken until final minutes or beyond. Impressively, the budget was decided ahead of schedule, leaving more time for last-minute non-fiscal controversies.

Other large issues proposed by Gov. Matt Blunt were resolved with similar ease. Tort and Medicaid reform were controversial but decided well before the end of the session.

Surely the most controversial was Medicaid. By wielding their majority power, Blunt and the Republicans reined in Medicaid spending more firmly than would have been possible with a split majority. ...

Certainly, some particular aspects of the savings plan will turn out to be bad. ... However, as we discovered with welfare reform a decade ago, the only way to successfully wade into such an issue is with hip boots. Then, as intolerable consequences come to light, quickly bring relief.

The big issue with Medicaid was its unsustainable cost, clearly out of control and demanding restraint. Potentially affected recipients raised compelling, narrowly focused objections, and a few cutbacks were mitigated. ...

As quickly as possible, perverse effects of Medicaid reductions must be considered with the goal of separating areas of truly necessary public support from areas where individuals can bear more of the burden.

It's easy to be mad at Gov. Blunt for setting such a sweeping benchmark, eliminating so many recipients' benefits. No doubt, some genuinely needy people will be hurt, but only with this sort of upheaval can we find areas of excess. Now, and quickly, our focus must be on restoring help where we went too far.