Branden Durst: State should tap rainy day fund to preserve programs

Recently, as I listened to Gov. Butch Otter once again announce that he would be cutting state government, I wondered what was next. I remember a similarly eerie feeling from the announcement from the year before. At that time, Gov. Otter assured us all that he was acting in the best interest of Idahoans and was doing the "fiscally responsible" thing. At that time, as now, I wasn't sure which Idahoans he was talking about.

During the previous legislative session, Democratic legislators advocated against cutting vital programs including state police, Medicaid and higher education. At that time, we pointed out, in both the committee process and in floor debate, that doing so would lead to bigger problems and end up costing us more. The strain on these services is proof that we all, especially someone who has been around state government as long as Gov. Otter, should have seen it coming.

The issue that complicates this most is the fact that Gov. Otter has built his philosophical house on the ground of best business practice. He has stated that he believes that government that runs more like a business will serve its customers, the taxpayers, better.

With this in mind, how can Gov. Otter justify cutting the likes of higher education, Health and Welfare, and Commerce at a time like this? Rather than demonstrate proactive leadership, Gov. Otter demonstrated pass-the-buck political pragmatism. That won't get it done.

The fact of the matter is higher education, Health and Welfare, and Commerce are all critical to job creation. It is job creation that will get us out of these difficult times. Had Gov. Otter used the business principles that he claims are so important to his governance philosophy, then why would he cut programs that are seeing the largest increases in demand? While I am not a business person, it seems to me that if I were getting more demand for a product, the last thing I'd want to do is cut its supply (unless you believe that access to higher education and jobs are a prestige product).

Finally, Gov. Otter doesn't seem to understand what common Idahoans are dealing with in this economic downturn. Many of us are facing very difficult financial decisions and cutting back or losing things that we used to take for granted. We are getting behind on our mortgages or rent, telling our children that we can't sign them up for that activity they've been dying to try, and choosing between going to the grocery store or going to the doctor's office.

While tough decisions are a necessity for many of us, Gov. Otter's cuts to vital services are not. "Rainy-day" funds to the tune of over a quarter of a billion dollars (yes, billion with a "B") still exist for times like these. Gov. Otter's unwillingness to use these funds points to his disconnect with regular Idahoans. For us, it's raining and has been for a while. Unless, Gov. Otter is waiting for Noah, now is the time to use state reserves to help with job creation so that normal Idahoans can get back to work and get this economy moving again.

Branden Durst is state representative for District 18, House Seat A.