FOREST - In essence, the most powerful senator in Mississippi is saying that Gov. Haley Barbour will get his way when it comes to the budget battle during next year's legislative session.
"If Haley Barbour keeps on with his no-tax stand, then there won't be a tax increase," Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Gordon, D-Okolona, said this week from his home. "If we passed that bill and he vetoed it, his veto would be sustained."
Gordon won't give a straight answer to whether or not he believes the Legislature should pass a tax increase, and he won't touch whether or not he would vote to override a Barbour veto.
But Gordon is not shy at all about discussing the fiscal situation the state now faces.
"This will be my 30th session - my 14th as Appropriations chairman. I've never seen it this hard before," Gordon said.
The state faces a current-year budget deficit of more than $600 million. Agencies are requesting $1.18 billion in increases for next year - a 33 percent rise in spending.
To put things in perspective, if the Legislature chose to fund the FY2006 budget at current levels, lawmakers would still have to find $66.5 million in new money.
"That's with no increase (in spending) whatsoever," Gordon said.
Such a plan is nearly impossible, though. Honoring the teacher pay increase - which Barbour and others support - will cost $95 million alone.
Then you have to add on another $25 million "just to pay for school and state employee insurance," Gordon said.
Gordon said the state must also funnel $31 million into the retirement fund.
And of course, there is always just normal growth. Gordon said the Mississippi Adequate Education Program will increase $12 to $15 million based on the formula used to calculate it.
So no tax increases? If the state is lucky and the current-year deficit comes in at $600 million, current available funds will only cover about half of it.
"We have $300 million we can get our hands on," Gordon said, pointing to the rainy day fund, delaying repayment of special funds, an expected 5 percent growth in the Education Enhancement Fund and tax revenues of up to $150 million.
So what about the other $300 million? Gordon says the state would have to "make draconian cuts, which means people are going to lose their jobs."
All of this just to stay at the current level of funding and cover natural growth. What of the state's obligations to provide needed services?
To say nothing of reinstating millions in cuts to Medicaid passed last year that are now the subject of a federal court battle, Gordon is looking at the basic needs of our state and the state's responsibility to provide for them.
From transportation to the mentally ill, every issue will be affected by the cuts, Gordon said. And some departments may not be able to sustain themselves properly without additional money.
"The Highway Patrol is in bad shape," Gordon said. "They have 40-some-odd troopers who are in Iraq or are getting ready to go to Iraq. They have about 25 who retired. About 100 are eligible to retire.
"We have to get them some money for a school so they can recruit and train more officers."
So no tax increases? Just cut spending? This is the philosophy that is going to put our state on solid ground?
Given, a 33-percent increase in spending is steep. Room for cuts most definitely exist.
But when the state can't fund itself at current levels without cutting $300 million and switching monies around, not raising taxes might be more foolish and detrimental to our state than raising them would be.
