LETTERS: DEBATE ON STATE SPENDING CONTINUES

To the editor:

On July 3 your paper ran a letter that reflected the views of state Rep. Jim Kreider of Nixa, speaker pro tem of the Missouri House of Representatives. Kreider started by pointing out that he would like to hear a fair and honest debate about the differences between Missouri's current state budget and that of 10 years ago. Additionally, he felt that your paper had unfairly compared apples to oranges, referring to the budget of now and then, because of the failure to take into account the financial obligations that are placed on the state due to federal cutbacks.

This is such a farce. Missouri is not obligated to match every dollar that comes from the federal level, and we are not required to make up for any cut backs that the feds decide to impose. Cutbacks are designed to lessen the size of government. An example: reducing the welfare roles. However, this year the Department of Social Services for the first time ever is spending more money than the Department of Education. I thought we were ending welfare as we know it.

Starting in 1994, the American people went to the polls and said that they believe in smaller and less intrusive government, but Kreider is saying that the people are wrong if government has a good reason for an increase. True, I agree that in the areas of health care, education and transportation we need to have spending increases that are reasonable and based on results. However, in Missouri our high school dropout rate has increased Missouri's ranking from 27th to 38th in the country since 1992, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book.

Gov. Mel Carnahan said on Jan. 13, 1993: "Let's get on with passing my comprehensive reform and funding package to create world-class schools." He was referring to the largest tax increase in Missouri history (Senate Bill 380). The governor went on to say that these new funds would be used to extend dropout prevention programs and improve student achievement through computer literacy. Once again, we continue to spend money to fix a problem with no proof that more money is the answer. Many other states have fresh and innovative ideas toward education, but our Democratic one-party rule refuses to listen.

For example, this year the Missouri House passed something called the Y2C fund. The bill was created by Republican state Rep. Jewell Patek and would take all of Missouris gaming revenue and make a direct payment to all of the 525 Missouri school districts on a per-pupil basis, bypassing the state government education bureaucracy. How did Kreider vote on this? No. The amendment, designed to give local control, failed to make its way through the Senate.

Government should be empowering the people at the local level, not saying "there is no limit to what we can do with your money." Big government is getting old and less productive the larger it gets, yet we continue to take tax dollars and pump them into an endless pit without asking the question, "Is it paying off?"As Kreider said, the fact remains that "Missouri has been blessed with an outstanding economy the past eight years." And how does government reward that blessing? It continues to grow faster than it is legally able.

Kreider, Carnahan and their Democrat friends jump for joy when they, along with Republicans, pass a tax cut. What they fail to mention is we have still not passed enough cuts to comply with the constitutional provision known as the Hancock Amendment, which says that state government's revenue can not grow any faster than that of the average Missourian's. Because of this mismanagement, we have been sending refunds to taxpayers every year for the last five years. By the way, those refunds cost nearly $750,000 every time they are mailed.

Lastly, Kreider blames then-Gov. John Ashcroft for skimping on education, skimping on a bogus highway plan and skimping on our children's future. Well, Representative, Governor Ashcroft was doing just as every Missouri family must do, and that is spend what you have to, save what you can and never take more than you truly need. I wish that the current governor would adopt those thoughts.

STATE REP. DELBERT L. SCOTT, Minority Floor Leader

119th District

Lowry City