Commentary; Posted: 6/4/03

Changing directions ó for better or worse?

Don Heinzman

The tug of war between the winners and the losers in the showdown over the stateís budget is about to begin. Unfortunately, for both sides what is being projected wonít happen. Fees and property taxes will go up, but the quality of public services will not be as bad as the DFL legislators are predicting.

The real losers will be the hundreds of state, local and county employees who will lose their jobs, necessitated by a loss of state aid and no increase in state taxes.

To the Republican leadership this process is called cutting the fat out of the bureaucracy. As one said it, ìWeíll save programs by cutting the bureaucracy.î

Never mind that each one of these people is a wage earner with a family to support.

The next group of losers will be those who lose their benefits during these difficult economic times . Where will they turn?

Finally, even those who keep their jobs will be under stress to do as much or more with less money. This is the high stakes bet Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his fellow Republican legislators have in mind.

They are convinced there is enough money to provide enough services so that the average Minnesotan wonít feel enough pain to admit that a tax increase would have been a better answer.

For example, children will still go to school in slightly larger classes. Theyíll be learning the basic subjects, hot lunches will be served, a school nurse will be on board and buses will take children back and forth even though in some districts parents will have to pay a busing fee.

Never mind that early childhood programs will be curtailed and that children with disabilities will have fewer specialists and aides to help them.

Because they are dedicated to serving the public, public service employees will try their hardest to provide needed services. They will double up, work harder and longer to help those in need.

Teachers, for example, will continue to spend their own money to provide some of the items that will be cut from their classroom budgets.

City employees will do the same, doubling up, sometimes at their own expense to plow the roads, repair them, fight fires, and enforce the laws.

In the counties, people will be let go, but the ones remaining will work harder to provide services prescribed by the state.

The elderly will just have to suffer and pay more for services.

Tuitions will be higher for university and college students, but Republicans are betting parents will be able to dig deeper to provide a college education, even though parents themselves are losing their jobs and there are fewer jobs for university students.

There will not be immediate cries of pain. This yearís budgets were set last year, and even though cities are losing local government aid, most cities will use some of their reserves to get by.

Theyíll cut services around the fringes like park hours, swimming pool closes and less mowing of ball fields.

Next year, however, will be a different story, but here again the Republican partyís predictions may come true, because even though there will be fewer employees, even fire fighters and police officers, most citizens wonít notice the changes, while their property taxes are sure to go up.

Some will argue that the recession finally is taking its toll on the public sector just as workers in the private sector are losing their jobs and having their wages frozen.

Tim Pawlenty and his Republican legislators are changing the direction of state government.

The question remains: Will all Minnesotans be better or worse off when they go to the polls in 2004? ó Don Heinzman

Top of Page