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Education
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Current Events:State
Budget Cuts: Our state and
nation are facing budget shortfalls that have not been seen since the
Great Depression. Oklahoma’s
state government officials are now dealing with the tough decisions that
small businesses have already tackled; how to make the budget cuts that
will keep them from going “out of business”.
Despite having more than a year to prepare for this day,
Oklahoma’s officials still seem to be unclear as to where, and how
deep to make the needed cuts. According
to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the largest employer in the
state, is the state. With
almost 80,000 employees, Oklahoma’s budget cuts cannot exclude this
obvious expense. However as
we cut employees, what happens to the work they used to do? Will we find that some of the work was not all that
important? Will other state
employees pick up the slack and become more efficient?
The answer to both these questions is yes, which in the long run
will benefit Oklahoma’s taxpayers and the economy. In
the private sector, small businesses make the first cuts to programs and
people that are least necessary and productive.
They combine departments, cut workweek hours, reduce energy use,
travel expenses, and solve problems by thinking out of the box.
Decisions are made based on business, not politics or special
interests. Oklahoma’s
state leaders need to follow the lead set by these small businesses and
act decisively and immediately. Overlap
and inefficiency is easy to identify in Oklahoma’s state government.
As an example, there are over 500 school districts in Oklahoma
with some having fewer than 100 students.
Each district requires similar administration which can be
consolidated and made more efficient if the school districts were
consolidated. Our
state’s court system is chocked with trials and hearings for petty
crimes like traffic violations, misdemeanor alcohol and drug related
crimes, most of which can be processed much more effectively.
We spend time and money prosecuting illegal aliens and have
hundreds of them serving time in our state and county jails at a cost of
millions of dollars each year. There
is inefficiency in state government, few people; even state employees
would deny it. In fact, a
study made public by Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs showed that 88%
of Oklahomans believe that state government wastes at least 10% of its
tax revenue. One-third of
the respondents said that the feel the state government wastes at least
half of its budget. 2010 will be a year of forced change for our state and local governments, a year where budgets will be cut to the bone causing us to reevaluate government’s true duty and purpose. Many citizens will be looking forward to a leaner, meaner Oklahoma. http://www2.census.gov/govs/apes/08stok.txt State Question 744, also called the Hope Amendment, is a proposed amendment that would require the state to increase spending on education to a level equal to the regional average. The regional average being that spent by our neighboring states, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado. Passage of the amendment by voters would increase Oklahoma’s spending on education by about $900 million. It should not be a surprise that the Oklahoma Education Association (teacher’s union) has pushed very hard for this amendment and in fact lead the fight to get it on the ballot. The state education
budget is already 34% of the state’s total budget. How on earth
is Oklahoma going to come up with an additional $900 million dollars
should voter pass this amendment? Well, there are three ways, (1)
raise taxes, (2) cut spending in areas other than education and (3)
raise taxes and cut spending. When it is all said and done, would Oklahoma have more schools, better supplies and newer school buses? Of course we would, but would we have better educated children? History has shown the answer is no, not unless we address the need for better teachers and teaching methods, something this amendment does not address. |