April 28, 2003
EDITORIAL:
Tell lawmakers how you feel about important issues
___Sharpen your pencil. Get out a new ballpoint pen. Turn on your computer. Limber up your dialing finger. However you prefer to contact your state politicians, do it soon.
___As almost every Texan knows, the Legislature faces a $9.9 billion budget shortfall over the next two years. The governor and legislative leaders have pledged to balance the budget without raising taxes. Consequently, they're hearing siren songs as they attempt to chart the ship of state through stormy seas.
___On one side, they're hearing from proponents of supposed revenue-enhancing schemes that urge them to sell the state's soul for a few coins. I say "supposed," because the deals these tempters offer actually would cost the state millions of dollars in hidden damages. On the other side, they're listening to supporters of supposed expense-cutting schemes that beckon them to turn Texas into a hard and bitter place in order to make the bottom line appear black for a short while. I say "supposed," because the true cost of these budget savings are torn and tattered lives. Patching them up--if indeed Texas has the will to patch them up--would be more expensive than keeping them together now.
Contact information:
___Gov. Rick Perry, (512) 463-2000; State Capitol, Room 2S.1, Austin 78701
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___Box 12608, Austin 78711
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___Box 2910, Austin 78768
___Texas Baptists need to let government officials know how they feel about several key issues that will be decided in the waning weeks of this legislative session:
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___Peddlers of all kinds of vice croon that gambling "revenue" will cover the spread on Texas' budgetary woes. They sing a seductive song of courtship but never mention the second verse is heartbreaking blues.
___Gambling bills are bouncing around the capitol like those numbered ping pong balls in a lottery-selection machine. No one knows whether bills promoting keno games, "racinos" at racetracks, Indian casinos, regular casinos, Powerball or video lottery will wind up on lawmakers' desks.
___They're all a bad bet for Texas. Here are several reasons: (1) While some forms of gambling show a short-run revenue increase, they wind up costing the economy through increased expenditures on crime and social services for families pushed into poverty by gambling. (2) Increased gambling hurts the cash flow of many legitimate businesses that not only pay taxes but also put proceeds back into the local and state economy. (3) Gambling exacts a heavy toll on compulsive gamblers and their families. Studies from Las Vegas show that many gambling addicts live in the communities where gambling is readily available. (4) Gambling is among the most regressive forms of taxation. Gambling primarily preys upon those who can least afford it. And since the "house" ultimately wins, gambling pushes them and their families into even deeper levels of poverty and need.
___Gov. Rick Perry campaigned against expansion of gambling. Now that gambling proposals are lining up for attachment to the sunset bill on the lottery, the governor appears to be softening his resistance. However, he can make all the difference here. "If the governor simply makes clear that he will not sign a sunset bill that includes other kinds of gambling, that in itself would kill the gambling proposals now before the legislature," observed Phil Strickland, director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission. The governor needs encouragement to keep his promise and to prevent expanded gambling in Texas.
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___The Texas House has passed a dreadful budget that seeks to balance the numbers on the feeble backs of children, old people, the sick and pregnant mothers.
___Politicians love to talk about "family values." What kind of values remove health insurance from a quarter-million poor children? What kind of values deny medical coverage to 17,000 pregnant women? What kind of values pull the plug on medical coverage for 57,000 elderly and infirm Texans?
___The Dallas Morning News asked the right question: "Is that the kind of state we want?" If it is, then we should be embarrassed, not proud, to call ourselves Texans.
___"In spite of numerous efforts across the state, the Legislature seems bent on balancing the budget on the backs of children and poor people. The numbers are there," Strickland noted. "We hope the Senate will have the statesmanship to take a hard look at what we're doing to poor people and develop other ways to cut spending."
___The Senate, led by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, needs encouragement to write a balanced budget that can make Texans proud, not ashamed.
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___With all of Texas' budgetary difficulties, imagine the gall of legislators to propose spending more money on voucher programs that will support parochial schools and additional funding for virtual charter schools.
___Traditional Texas Baptists should be concerned about the church-state ramifications of support for parochial education, whether it's through vouchers or direct grants. State aid is state aid. Moreover, Texans concerned for belt-tightening in tough times should be aghast at suggestions we fork over more money for parochial education at the expense of public schools, where the vast majority of our children are educated. Let parents who want private education for their children pay for it, but don't force the public--and the public schools--to fund their choices.
___These are significant issues that will shape Texas for at least the coming generation. Don't sit on the sidelines. Write or call; make sure lawmakers know how you feel.
--Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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