MISSOURI HAS EXPLOSION IN STATE SPENDING

Gov. Mel Carnahan continues to preside over a state budget that is growing explosively. His proposed fiscal year 1999 budget, unveiled in Jefferson City week before last, seeks to spend $15.4 billion. This is a huge, $800 million increase over the current budget year. The state budget has ballooned by $4.4 billion since Carnahan took office in 1993.

For a comparison, understand that just a little over 15 years ago, in 1982, the entire state budget was about $2.5 billion, far less than the amount by which Carnahan has managed to increase spending in five years in office. (Today, state government is spending approximately $3.5 billion on public education alone. This doesn't count local funding from property taxes.) Can 1982 be said to have been the Dark Ages? You would think so, given some of the hysterical rhetoric issuing from the myriad spending constituencies constantly wanting more, more more. One scholarly study has examined legislative hearings and concluded, ominously, that these spending constituencies outnumber those working on behalf of taxpayers in the halls of the Capitol by about 130-1. Much of this consists of those already on the receiving end of government funding appearing to earnestly make their case for more.

Fifteen and a half billion dollars of spending will buy lots of support. Much of the Carnahan budgetary scheme can be understood in this light. Is a marvelously productive private economy throwing off lots of tax revenue? Why, by all means then, let's put state government in the day-care business with the governor's proposal to spend millions opening the public schools to youngsters under kindergarten age. This will have, for the governor, the ancillary benefit of hiring more government workers who can be signed up as members of your friendly government workers' union, swelling the army of those whose goal in life is to further plunder taxpayers.

It will be up to House and Senate Republicans to stand up to this explosion of spending and fight for real tax cuts this year. Missourians are watching and should remember come November.