What should Missouri’s budget priorities be while facing cutbacks?
Like so many other states, Missouri will begin budget cuts.
While the budget cuts will start at some of the state’s social services programs, the Tour of Missouri, a bike tour that starts Sept. 7, will be safe. According to the Post-Dispatch the bike tour costs $1.5 million, a fraction of the $60 million in cuts that Nixon is studying.
The Post-Dispatch also reported that $475,000 will be cut from domestic violence programs and $2.25 million from Health Care centers for low income families.
The Missouri Water Patrol, for instance, faces the possibility of scaling back patrols on some of the state’s rivers and lakes. And up to 3,000 people with disabilities might lose some services at independent-living centers across the state.
…Other proposed cuts include money for job-training workshops for people with disabilities, funding for anti-smoking programs and services for pregnant women as an alternative to abortion.
While the Tour of Missouri might bring in some tourism dollars, does it deserve funding ahead of other programs? What should be the state’s first priorities as budget cuts begin? Are there other items that should be cut first? Do you think any of the items mentioned shouldn’t have been cut all all?
Cut education. There are way too many frills there. Education is NOT a sacred cow. Fund broadband to the hinterlands, and leave academe in the backwash where it belongs.
Education should be a privilege, not a right. If it were a privilege, people would value it more. Education should be available to all — on the College of the Ozarks plan: if you want an education, you work for it,to your ability. Cut the A+ program…why should I subsidize a C student who does 40 hours of volunteer work? I’d rather state money go to B+ students at least. And, if you get a state scholarship you would then be obligated to live and work in the state for as long as your scholarship was. Sort of like the ROTC military-assisted degree. At least the TOM brings money to rural communities– though I wouldn’t personally cross the street to watch a bike race.
Cutting the Water Patrol is folly…they need to be given MORE money, and the fines for water infractions increased to pay for it. Ditto the Highway Patrol. Keep job training and retraining. That helps people get their foot back in the stirrup. Helpt pregnant women to have kids? Nah. Leave that to the pro-life churches. People with disabilities? There are few people who are so ill or infirm they can do absolutely nothing. Everyone should contribute to their own maintenance, even if it requires being subsidized. NO 100% free lunch, except for the more direly poorly off– if someone can do nothing to support themselves because of infirmity that is “can” not “will” — be charitable.
I would, however, eliminate corporate welfare grants for for-profit companies. Loans to be paid back with interest? OK.
The worst thing the state does is it lays off people who are making money for it. Cut seasonal cave guides,(with workmen’s comp, but no other benefits) who are making a couple bucks over minimum wage and you lose money because there are fewer tours. If a person making $8/hr who leads 15 people through a cave at $10/pop is laid off, you trade $8+ workmen’s comp pocket change per hour saved for $150 not earned. Dumb. But they do it.
Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto. Read it. Live by it. No more, no less.
Teresa -
You are a friggin’ GENIUS! Why didn’t someone else think of that????
Many people in this country already read at a 5th grade level, or can barely add or subtract two numbers….so let’s cut education. Great plan. Well thought out.
Our young-uns will surely catch up to the rest of the world (who has sped past us in education in the last few decades) in “book learnin” then!
Fire all the clowns in Gov service. They are slow, arrogant and highly judgemental & extremely over paid. Missouri needs to spend money on homelessness, unemployed worker education & training and helping single mothers raise kids and find meaningful employment & housing. Everybody whines & cries too much as it is.
Raise taxes on the governor & all his staff. He needs to feel the pain, too. So he can truely feel the plight of the homeless people. Everybody in Jefferson City should be required to withdraw $100 from the bank, and go live in the SUV for 6 months and then listen to them complain about good other people have it.
Mentioning the tour of MO along side education and water patrol is an apples and oranges argument. The tour comes out of the tourism budget, the water patrol comes out of the public safety budget, education comes out of education. Implying that the public safety budget is being cut because of the tour would be like saying KSDK laid off two people because interns at the post dispatch don’t understand how budgets are created. The department of tourism was asked to cut $1.5 million and to provide transparency. The tourism department worked the budget so the cuts came from other places then the tour budget.
Of course it’s a balancing act. Events like the Tour of Missouri bring in tax dollars. If we cut all of that, the tourism dollars would dry up and the citizens of Missouri would have to pick up the slack. As for the cuts in services. I wonder what percentage of the overall budget on a particular program is being trimmed. What percent is $475,000 of the total spent on domestic abuse? If it’s a reasonable percentage, that is in line with cuts elsewhere, I’d say it’s okay. These days we hear a lot about how individuals have to make sacrifices to make ends meet. The state isn’t immune to that. With all the job losses and business closing or going elsewhere, the funds just aren’t there. Cuts have to be made. No one said it was going to be easy. If you have a better plan that is sure to save the state, you need to quit complaining and put that plan to work.
Teresa, did I understand you correctly? Cut education? That is cutting a cornerstone of our society. Without education where are we? I understand that even with good education we have to have caring parents, but really I can’t believe you posted that. Do you have children? Maybe you make enough money to send them to private school if you do, but most parents don’t, especially in this economy. You may want to do some soul searching on that remark. Wow. I’m glad everyone doesn’t think like you do. Were you kidding?
Glad to see you all have been swept up in Nixon and Kinder’s spitting match.
marvin: Wasn’t trying to get caught up… I just couldn’t really believe someone, a citizen of our country I assume, could suggest that every child in this nation didn’t have the right to an education. Are we forgetting what this country is about?
To all those who would rather spend on deadbeat parents who cannot support their umpteen children that they had out of wedlock rather than this bike race, thank you for making Missouri one of the most miserable places on Earth. This state just plain sucks. Ozark hillbillies who have no education anyway, why spend money on you? My taxable earnings are looking to leave this terrible state at the first opportunity. Bye bye six figures to all of you backcountry MOrons.
No matter where the ax falls, there will be whiners and complainers. It is a “must do” and a fiscally responsible thing. (fiscally responsible being a foreign word to many) The one place that needs continuous funding is anything that involves public safety.