In 2004, I wrote this about TABOR in Colorado and shared it with the members of my local. A shorter version was later published in our unions state newspaper. After reading it over today, I thought it was just as appropriate to share today as it was back then. Fortunately for Colorado, they voted this fall to suspend some of the TABOR restrictions, because of the serious effects it has had on the status of many services in the state.
In this piece, I refer to friends in Colorado. A year or so, I was talking politics to one of them, and he said, no matter what, don't let TABOR pass in Wisconsin, it's the worse thing that can happen to a state. Taking that to heart, I'm trying to make folks aware of this bad legislation. We need to have as many people as possible speaking out against TABOR, Taxpayers Protection or whatever name they want to call it. I have much more to say about TABOR, but for now, here is my summary of TABOR in Colorado in 2004
...LC2
The State of Colorado passed a Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) in 1992 at the start of the “economic boom”. Until the recession started, TABOR didn’t have a lot of effect on the state, but, since the economic downturn that has changed. Colorado’s TABOR amendment causes the state to struggle to pay for basic services while the government is forced to return “surplus” tax money to residents. As a result of the cuts in services Colorado has sunk to 48th in high school graduation rates and 49th in job growth. According to an editorial in the Denver Post, the “state university system is nearing economic collapse”. At this point in time, the Colorado legislature is looking for ways to work around the constitutional amendment to resolve their economic crisis.
The Wisconsin Legislature is embarking on a “son of TABOR” journey. For the Republican majority in the Legislature, the hope is that the concept of surplus money being returned to the tax payers will be enough to allow this constitutional amendment to be approved by the citizens of Wisconsin. First, the bill must be passed by the Legislature during two sessions. Now is the time to stop the legislation, before taxpayers are lulled into a sense of false economy.
Several weeks ago, I contacted two friends who live in Colorado. One works in the library at one of the state universities, the other works for a state agency. I asked them how TABOR has affected their work and lives. Here are some of their comments:
“Our library lost around 12 positions last year due to the combined bad effects of TABOR, and two other Colorado amendments….We are cutting all the time. We are meeting this week to discuss programs that can be cut further”
“The benefits afforded classified staff in the state have not kept up with the industry. We pay more for health care now than ever before…I pay $550 per month [for my spouse and I]. Not too long ago, I carried both of us for less than $250. The state says that is because the average age of a state classified worker is 45. Well, the younger folks don’t want to work for the state because the pay and benefits are pitifully low”
The Denver Post editorial indicated TABOR “will affect everything from roads and highway maintenance, to government programs and services and the criminal justice system. In other words, bigger potholes, fewer hours at the local Department of Motor Vehicles office, and fewer criminals getting caught. If the ratcheting-down effect of TABOR continues to drain the amount of money left in the state coffers each year, it could ultimately lead to such drastic measures as letting inmates go free.” These sentiments were reflected in the comments made by my friend, talking about staff reductions in state agencies and departments across the board, including Higher Education and the Dept. of Corrections where they have cut back on probation programs. They go on to say that everyone working in state government is doing as best they can with the limited resources, but the resources only stretch so far and work gets backlogged or not done at all.
Having watched our Legislature deal with the budget over the past two years, these stories from Colorado sound all too familiar. Unfortunately, passing a TABOR amendment in Wisconsin would make our recent experiences the norm rather than the exception for dealing with reduced budgets. What we have experienced and seen would only be the beginning of the downgrade of the quality of life and services in Wisconsin.
Here are some sobering statistics to consider….
Wisconsin ranks 33rd in the nation in proportion of adults with a high school education.
Wisconsin ranks 30th in the country in wages
Wisconsin lost 82,000 manufacturing jobs over the last three years. Overall there has been growth in the number of jobs, mostly in the service industries, which in general pay less then the lost jobs in manufacturing.
Where will a Wisconsin TABOR amendment take us to on this road to mediocrity?
Although 41% of Wisconsin high school graduates go on to a four year college, many of those graduates leave the state after graduating. If TABOR is implemented in Wisconsin, how will the University of Wisconsin System look in 10 years? How many of those high school graduates will even want to attend? Will we lose them before they even start college?
Considering 31% of Wisconsin’s population are “baby boomers” and have already started retiring, what will our jobs look like in 10 years? Look at your coworkers, who will be left 10 years from now, and how will those retiring be replaced?
We have the opportunity to make sure that down the road Wisconsin is not facing the same hurdles that Colorado is up against. We need to let our legislators know that this is not the solution for Wisconsin or any other state. Please contact your legislators today and tell them what a bad idea this is, not just as a state employee, but a citizen of the state.
The Denver Post editorial warns, “If the rest of the nation will be watching Colorado, the least we could do is give them a warning: Do not implement a budget-hampering plan like TABOR”.
