State Senator Curt Thompson's
Monthly News Letter
October 2011 Vol. 10
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you have all been well. Already there have been signs that Summer is starting to leave us, from the cool breezes in the middle of our warm sunshine to the longer commutes we're seeing as everyone needs to get to school and work in the morning. While it's sad that this has to happen, I am looking forwards to the work we have ahead of us as we move into Fall. Having a glut of holidays coming up in a few months helps as well.
Now, while it might not seem like it, your state government is already at work on the issues we will face in January when the legislature goes back into session. As always, there will be a slew of proposed legislation. While many of those ideas will be proposals we’ve seen before, others will be completely new. Some will just be simple election year stunts. Others will be substantive proposals. That said one item, the most significant legislation of the session, is already known: Georgia’s 2012 budget. How we address how our dollars are invested is the most important thing a state can do and everyone needs to both prepare for making their voices heard on this matter and the debate that will follow.
Budgets are usually not very sexy bills; they don’t get the air time they deserve. But as this summer’s hostage situation in Washington demonstrated, as well as our state’s wrestling match with HOPE last fall, they’re important. Now is the time for citizens and activists to make their voices heard in the process of creating our 2012 budget. Georgia’s budget decides what type of state we are going to be as we move forward. It shows what our priorities we have as Georgians. Even though this recession has mandated our nation to responsibly balance budgets across the board, that doesn’t mean there aren’t important decisions to be made in how our state government spends our money.
It’s vital to think about what’s at stake when making these decisions. Georgia is the 15th poorest state in the union when looking at children living in poverty, and 12th in total people living in poverty. We are 49th and 50th, respectively, in the country at paying out benefits in children’s healthcare and in Medicaid. Our education system has numbers that are just as low. The kicker is that we rank so low in these statistics partly because of one other ranking: 49th in the country in tax revenue taken in per capita.
We cannot build the future of Georgia on the back of spending cuts alone. Previous budgets have made mincemeat out of our state’s pork; we’re only able to make cuts straight to the bone in 2012, before having to start cutting the bone itself. The only option left with cuts is to start seriously crippling the government programs that are the most vital: education, transportation, health, and safety. And if you are one of those people who are determined to have no more taxes until Jesus comes, then you better be prepared to live with the consequences. Some of the results of that attitude can already be seen. Georgia’s failure to pay out required healthcare funding means that more folks that are needing to go to hospitals are uninsured, raising healthcare costs for the rest of us. Cheating scandals and accreditation loss reveal s the damage that’s been done to this state’s educational system already because of cuts. Even the companies that have moved operations to Georgia due to tax breaks are starting to become worried about the serious cuts in transportation investment seen over the past few years. One thousand sensible cuts to government have turned into great gaping gashes in a rush to apply a ‘one size fits all’ solution to the problems this recession have given us.
Just as we have to approach the issue of building a great county and dealing with hard economic times with balance, we have to have a balanced approach to our budgets as a state. If not, then other states in the nation are ready and willing to pass us by. We cannot simply cut programs and we cannot afford this ‘one size fits all’ tax cuts option those hardcore conservative ideologues like ramming down our throats. If we want to address the problems we face as a state, if we want to climb out of the bottom tier of states in our country on issues like education and transportation, and if we want to create jobs that will turn our economy around: we have to address the issue of investment in our state and be willing to raise revenues as part of that balanced approach. In a world with only cuts to government, there is no such thing as schools for our children, interstate highways for our commerce, or hospitals that are open to everyone instead of a chosen few. Public goods do cost money, and Georgia is moving away from having enough money to give our citizens the types of services that are unheard of in other parts of the world, but we take for granted. Here’s hoping that the people crafting our budget understand that fact. But even if they don’t, I hope everyone who reads these words and understands this will make their voice heard. This is the type of conversation you need to be having with your government, whether it’s your legislators or Governor Deal. For those who have programs they are worried about, write an email, write a letter, or call their offices. It’s much easier to get your voice heard during the time the budget is being written than after it is presented. At that point, people get stubborn when criticisms are leveled against the budget they were working months on. So I urge everyone who’s invested in what Georgia’s government provides to its citizens to start thinking, talking, and contributing to the budget that’s being built under the Gold Dome right now. After all, it is Georgia’s future.
Please remember that we're having our Citizen's Advisory Forum on Saturday, October 15th at the North Star Cafe located at 45 South Peachtree Street in historic Norcross. This month's topic is Georgia's 2012 budget, with special guest presenter Allen Essig, the Executive Director of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Remember, you can always contact me with your thoughts and ideas on the issues we face by emailing me at curt@curtthompson.com, though my website at www.makingyourvoicecount.com, or by calling me at 404-643-2649. Also, check me out below on Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks for all that you do,
Curt
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