When we did PERS reform in 2003, we didn’t attach it to the budget as severely as you’re seeing in this 2013 version of the Hot Air Society. It’s stunning to see both parties and two branches of state government simultaneously tying the funding of education, public safety and human services so tightly to one target.
Gov. Kitzhaber linked his proposed budget with $850 million in PERS (Public Employees Retirement System) savings directly to K-12 spending. The Republicans, through the Oregon School Board Association, proposed reforms totaling $1.5 billion in PERS savings, gutting benefits for their main whipping boys and girls — teachers and public employees. You’ve got to hand it to those school board association folks, though; thank God we have all 197 Oregon school districts’ boards looking out for students’ self interests and not their own. I wonder if they’ve even contemplated the savings that could accrue to K-12 if we simply agreed as a state to go to 36 county-based school districts? Think about it; do we really need 197 school districts with their redundant superintendents and redundant administrative staff? But I can hear the cacophony of yelping already: That’s a third rail of Oregon politics! Drain and Yoncalla, for example, could never merge: What would happen to the football programs?!
I agree with the teachers, firefighters and cops that there are other equitable ways out of this economic mess: Place more responsibility on the shoulders of the big banks and corporations that caused it, not on the overburdened backs of working and retired Oregonians. I agree with their unions that before the rug is pulled out from under a single retiree, we need to make sure that every corporation pays its fair share. Before our teachers, firefighters and personal support workers are asked yet again to do more with less, we need to make sure that our leaders are being as responsible and efficient with our tax dollars as possible. It’s the Oregon way. Take that, you school boards, you!
The guys in the middle of this negotiation are the Democratic co-chairs of the joint Ways and Means Committee, Sen. Richard Devlin and Rep. Peter Buckley. Devlin is one of my heroes. The former Marine drill instructor defeated then Public Enemy #1 of the Oregon public employee unions, Bob Tiernan, for his first election victory. Buckley is also a great guy. He should have gotten the Hot Air Perseverance and Perspicacity Award last session, when the House was evenly divided. Buckley was stuck in a room for six months as co-co-chair of House Ways and Means with Dennis Richardson, who was a coconut. Peter had to spend an entire session with that guy, and he still came out of it with his sanity and a grin.
The co-chairs’ initial proposal depends on about $450 million in PERS savings, using a variation of the reforms suggested by Kitzhaber. Granted, it’s light, but this is just a starting point. Buckley makes a good point; to any extent the Legislature is going to rely on PERS fixes, those fixes are at risk in the courts. Without a reasonable discussion of new revenue, that reliance alone could be devastating to future agency budgets if the courts don’t sustain the changes.
While Devlin and Buckley are the co-chairs of the joint Ways and Means Committee, they don’t operate exactly jointly. Because all revenue bills, anything having to do with a tax increase, must originate in the House. All revenue bills require a 60 percent majority to pass. There are 34 House Democrats and 26 House Republicans. Ergo, no percent partisan majority. Granted, the D’s could pull off an R or two — if they could find brave Republicans who were never running for office again in their lifetime or who are already expected to be defeated by a know-nothing Tea Party knucklehead in the primary. But then you’d also have to have all your Democrat votes lined up as well. Good luck with that one.
You have the same problem in the Senate. And the Senate, even though it has a 16-14 Democrat edge, also got more conservative. Three of the relatively moderate Republicans left the Senate. Democrats no longer can negotiate with reasonable folks like Frank Morse, Dave Nelson or Chris Telfer; they were replaced by remorseless righties.
But, there’s always hope. Guess who the chair of the House Revenue Committee is? I’ll give you a hint: He’s from Lane County and he’ll tax anything that moves — as Grattan Kerans used to say.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
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