Opinion
Lawmakers prefer working without a safety net
House Democrats say they won’t even consider a Republican proposal to pass a contingency plan to keep state government operating in case budget negotiations come up short.
Such a plan, they say, would take the pressure off lawmakers to actually come up with a new budget.
They might be right about that. After all, facing the prospect of state government grinding to a screeching halt would seem to give lawmakers adequate incentive to find middle ground.
But what if it doesn’t? What if even the embarrassment of having state police forced to park their cars isn’t enough to get Republicans and Democrats to sit down together and work out a budget they can all live with?
This is no mere theory.
The Legislative Services Agency, the General Assembly’s research arm, says that without a budget, most of state government would stop running.
Indiana’s 25 state parks and dozens of campgrounds could close at the height of vacation season. Money to pay 31,000 full-time state employees could dry up. Folks needing to renew their drivers licenses or conduct other in-person transactions with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles might be out of luck, and many schools might be forced to borrow money to keep summer programs running.
Frankly, public opinion ought to be enough to spur an agreement.
With the price of this special session running at least $12,000 a day, few lawmakers will have trouble finding constituents saying it’s time to come to some agreement and get out of Indianapolis.
And that impatience will only get worse if a deadlock really leads to a shutdown of state government.
Of course, it has almost never come to that. Gov. Oliver Morton had to raise private funds to keep state government going for two years in the 1860s, but other than that, lawmakers have always managed to pass a budget ahead of the deadline.
Here’s hoping they manage it again this year.
– Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, and Kokomo Tribune
- Opinion
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Drive safely this holiday
You’ll have company on Indiana highways and byways during this last three-day holiday of summer. More than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies will be patrolling streets and roads, Lt. Bob Burke, commander of the Indiana State Police Pendleton post, said last month.
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Daniels shows pragmatic side
THE ISSUE: Mitch Daniels’ request for stimulus money.
OUR VIEW: Governor was right to put aside personal beliefs for the good of the state.
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No answers from forum
What nearly everyone gathered for a public forum last week wanted to hear was that the state had changed its mind, that it had decided not to scale back operations at Logansport State Hospital after all.
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You’re invited to the debates
Over the last several years, The Kokomo Perspective, Kokomo Tribune and WIOU have teamed up to bring you political debates in advance of primary and general elections.
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The right direction
We’ve got it good in Howard County. Despite a recession nearing its third anniversary, despite losing a quarter of our employment over the past decade, local governments function well.
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Cheers and jeers - Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010
Kokomo loves its canines
Gail Beaton, a Dog Daze volunteer, sends two Cheers:
“A huge thank you to John Martino, superintendent of the Kokomo Parks and Recreation Department, to the board of the Parks Department and their staff for ‘Pooches in the Pool.’ It was an intriguing concept, well-planned and well-organized on site.
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Dress code has promise
Some see school uniforms as a threat to individual freedom, an effort to create a bunch of clones who all look and act alike.
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A witness for Christ
THE ISSUE: Many Americans’ stubborn belief that the president is Muslim.
OUR VIEW: All Christians should profess their faith as strongly as Obama.
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You can help feed a child
Pastor Jeff Newton tells a story that causes one pause. After Deanna Ancil heard it, it broke her heart.
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Slow-moving vehicles ahead
THE ISSUE: The approaching early harvest season.
OUR VIEW: Watch for farm vehicles on county roads in the next few weeks.
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Drive safely this holiday
