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Getting Back to Basics; What Does That Actually Mean?
Is this what we want our libraries and other key institutions to look like?
Right now there is an increasing sentiment throughout the nation and Michigan that during this tough economic period we need to rein in government spending to reflect the times.
Without getting bogged down in national debates on government-run health care, stimulus packages, and whatever else the entertainers of talk radio are going on about, I think we need to seriously consider the very real ramifications on a local level of easy-to-say rhetoric like “rein in government spending.”
On Tuesday there was a vote on a tax increase in Troy to maintain certain public services and to offset a decrease in city revenues thanks to declining property tax assesments. The measure failed pretty handedly by a 2-1 margin. Without the proposed tax increase, Troy, one of the wealthiest communities in the state, is going to be forced to close its library, community center, and lay off 47 police officers. And while this is a dramatic case, similar instances are happening in cities across the state as they struggle to deal with declining property values and tax assessments.
The anti-tax campaign in Troy was succinctly captured by one of its leaders, Janice Daniels, an 11-year Troy resident and member of Troy Citizens United who opposed the tax. She said "I am humbled that we were able to defeat the machine because the city pulled out all the stops against us . . . everyone obviously is elated. We worked very hard. The city needs to rein in their spending." (via Detroit News)
I respect this woman’s convictions, the sincerity of her beliefs, and the fact that she and others got involved in the political process. Her sentiments are far from unique, and in fact are in line with a phrase that I hear increasingly, that “government needs to get back to basics.”
But the thing is we aren’t currently doing the basics. Since when are decent roads and libraries and parks or police protection not basics? These government services have been staples of our society going back to a time when a good portion of the populace could tell you where they were when they heard Lincoln was shot.
For instance, roads have been at the core of all great civilizations since the Romans trotted down the Appian Way. Yet we sit by as our transportation system crumbles and becomes increasingly inadequate; all the while refusing to adjust our gas tax to reflect present-day economies. Since 1998 (the last gas tax increase), the revenue to maintain our infrastructure has decreased because people are driving less all the while the cost of construction has increased sharply due to a growing demand for materials such as concrete and steel in developing nations like China and India.
It didn’t get much press a couple weeks ago, but when the 2010-2011 state budget was unveiled it showed that without an increase in the gas tax or some other source of revenue, Michigan’s investment in its highway system will be cut almost in half this coming year (and by close to 67 percent by 2012) because we won’t be able to raise enough money to meet our federal match. So what we’ll save in a gas tax will certainly be overshadowed by what we’ll pay for in flat tires, cracked rims, and new suspensions.
Yet we do nothing. Our leaders dodge tough votes and speak of reforms that each of them know will hardly address the magnitude of the funding crisis.
It’s not just roads, the same could be said about emergency services like police and fire, for parks, and libraries and cultural institutions, which have seen significant cuts in recent years, and larger ones quickly approaching.
So what are our basics?
While a growing number of people are advocating for greater transit in Michigan, others argue against it on the grounds that we need to focus on our existing infrastructure and “get back to the basics.” Sorry folks, but mass transit is a basic in every major metropolitan area in the nation except for Michigan’s. And this puts us at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to developing desirable cities and attracting a more mobile workforce.
I understand times are tough for people right now. I’ve seen a parent lose a job twice in as many years. I’ve seen the majority of my younger friends lose their jobs and and/or move out of the state. I’ve seen homes become empty in neighborhoods across Michigan. I appreciate the realities of the current economic situation, but do we really think that closed libraries, abandoned parks, streets decaying to gravel, and fewer cops on the street while more prisoners are being released is Michigan’s path to prosperity?
I’m not going to argue that there aren’t efficiencies to be found in government and there aren’t cases where public funds could be spent more wisely or not at all. Far from it. I just feel we deserve a healthy debate as to what exactly are the ramifications of broad anti-tax sentiments on the local level and what that mean for the ‘basics’ of Michigan.
Because, ultimately, we have to honestly ask ourselves what do we want Michigan to look like and what are we willing to do and pay in order to obtain that?
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