Krusin' the Capitol
By Nebraska State Senator Lowen Kruse
2003
Week 16
April 26, 2003
Hi
A local pastor and his church have added these weekly newsletters to their
website, as a community service. Thank you to Pastor Michael Burgess and the
Olive Crest United Methodist Church! They are located at 60th and Girard,
north of the Sorensen. [ed. note: in Omaha, Nebraska]
This allows new folks on my list to access, read or print past newsletters,
and get a better sense of the flow of the session. You can get to the
website of this congregation with
www.olivecrest-umc.com and
check out their
overview. If you add
/olivecrest/krusin_the_capitol/krusin_index.html you
will be directly at my archive. Another route is to go to my website, where
there is a link at the end, through
www.lowenkruse.com. Ain't tech
wonderful? It sure saves me a bundle.
A mood swing at the legislature is becoming evident. Barely. Code words
like "crisis" and "unprecendented" were heard more and more as we had our
first week of debate on the budget and revenue recommendations. Several have
said it is the worst since the 30s. I say it goes back to the 1870s. In the
30s, desperate families were the responsibility of the feds and all the state
had to do was operate. It was a modest budget, but it worked. Now, our base
operations budget is only 6% of the total. We can cut it by 20% and pick up
only a penny.
Worse yet, half of our budget is local aid or medical costs which shift to
counties. If we cut any of that it goes to property tax. I know I have said
this before, but it bears repeating -- and that hard fact of life is what is
finally coming home to most of the senators. We can easily make the entire
cut by chopping local school aid in half. But it would be very hurtful to
our economy.
The best source of revenue is income tax. It is guaranteed we will roll back
the 1997 cut, to return to the 1996 income tax level. Next, we will broaden
the sales tax base. I am uncomfortable with picking just a few items as we
are doing. If we had a long list we would all be in this together. Senator
Redfield has an interesting proposal. Tax everything we spend except for
food and medicine. This would reduce the rate of tax by 40%.
A fun piece this week also illustrates the tension on taxes. Plus the ready
give-and-take we have with each other on the floor.
For all to understand the story I will describe Senator Tyson as the most
conservative fiscal voter on the floor. He would like that. He has a rich
round loud baritone way of voting "NO!" that always brings a chuckle.
The Northeast Community College, in his town of Norfolk, is in a desperate
way. When we set up state aid, with a cap on budget growth, they were at a
low point. They have grown fast, but have had to cut good programs, even
vital ones, to be able to survive. So they want three years to catch up,
then go back to the same system as everyone else. Makes sense, and I voted
for it. But it got no where.
Senator Tyson pleaded with the body for the right to tax themselves. It is a
several county unit and all senators from that area joined in.
But listen to his words. "This is a great need." "We are only taxing
ourselves." "Education and economic development will be seriously crippled
if we do not act." "Our businesses and people are ready to act."
Every one of those statements applies to almost every tax issue on the floor.
We are only taxing Nebraska. Not Iowa. The need is great. Economic
development will be hurt if we do not act. Yes. Yes. Yes.
One by one other senators took to the mike to repeat his speeches to us in
recent times. One said, "I must be mistaken. Senator A. and I thought we
remembered Senator Tyson's three little words: CUT! CUT! CUT!" The place
broke up for a minute or so. And on and on. The six senators got only five
votes plus their own. We should go back and revisit the issue, with no other
agenda, but we will see.
I close this week with my thoughts as a legislator who has a new
granddaughter.
Hang in there.
Lowen
Lauren
New-born energy ~ aimlessly waving at the air.
Exercising every body part ~ searching for her thumb.
Looking into my eyes. And I hers.
God has voted that the earth go on.
Sleep ~eat ~ change ~ search ~
Sleep ~eat ~ change ~ search ~
Three frame a life cycle – but will her search be for life?
What will she discover in my world?
o Unending body functions, or an adventure for mind and spirit?
o Those who hate, or persons who care?
o The spiritually dead who abhor difference,
or fresh minds who search it?
o A god who sharply judges, or the God who openly loves?
o Pain in harsh statistics, or mystery in warm relationships?
Her search of discovery begins in my eyes.
God has voted that the earth go on.
How will I vote?
Lowen Kruse
["God has voted…." is a line from Carl Sandburg}
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