EDITORIAL
Legislature: budget, schools, economy first
State lawmakers convene their 2002 session today facing budget and economic problems as serious as any since statehood.
The public demands that they deal with these problems head-on. That will give rise to difficult and at times unpopular decisions. But that's what leadership is all about.
In this historic election year (the entire 76-person Legislature is up for re-election in newly apportioned districts) the voters will be responsive to courage and decisiveness. They will not reward timidity or vacillation.
Nothing will come easy. There just isn't enough money to do everything lawmakers might wish to do. The best hope is that the House and Senate will focus on a few major issues and deal with them thoroughly and directly.
Everyone will have his own list, but it appears abundantly clear the short list includes dealing with a red-ink-stained state budget and upgrading Hawai'i's education system.
Behind those issues are thousands more. But in a very real way, if budget problems can be handled and forward-thinking education reform instituted, most of those other matters will fall into place.
Get rid of distractions
In keeping with the theme of simplicity, lawmakers should deal quickly with matters that could become distracting side shows for the entire session. We're thinking here of Gov. Ben Cayetano's proposal to use the $200 million-plus Hurricane Relief Fund to help balance the budget and the growing interest in some form of legalized gambling for Hawai'i.
Our position is that Cayetano has made a relatively strong case that the state budget cannot possibly be balanced without the infusion of a substantial amount of money at the level of the Hurricane Relief Fund. There is a legitimate argument that the fund should be kept whole in anticipation of the day when another hurricane hits the Islands and we are once again deserted by the insurance industry.
If lawmakers feel the argument for preserving the hurricane fund is persuasive, then they are duty-bound to find an alternative source of money. That means either raising taxes or cutting another $200 million out of the budget — a difficult if not impossible task.
So lawmakers must make a decision quickly about the hurricane fund and then move on to wrestle the rest of the budget to the ground. Postponing a decision on the hurricane fund simply means postponing other budget decisions in a year when there is no time to waste.
The same argument applies to gambling. We are convinced that strictly as an economic bet, legalizing gambling would not be a winner for Hawai'i. This is not a matter that requires a great deal of fresh study. Both sides of the debate have their facts and figures well marshaled. Ideally, lawmakers might call a joint House-Senate hearing on gambling early in the session, and then quickly follow with a go or no-go decision.
If the gambling debate is allowed to linger through the session, it will be a huge distraction and a roadblock to other, more important decisions.
Economic stimulation is at the front of every mind at the Legislature. Cayetano has offered his ideas, most prominently his $900 million "Marshall Plan" program for rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure of our public school system.
Legislators have tended to react to Cayetano's ideas strictly on the basis of the extra debt burden this would create for Hawai'i. That's a legitimate concern, although today's record low interest rates suggest this might be a particularly good time for borrowing.
But treating the school repair and maintenance proposal simply as a question of borrowing misses some other important points. A crash construction program would provide valuable jobs and would immediately pump cash back into the system. It would help Hawai'i weather the current economic slump.
It's our moral 'debt'
It would also be payment on a social and moral "debt" that has for too long gone unpaid. Our schools are not in good repair, the result of years of inattention. If we can bring the physical quality of our public schools and our university up to first-class status, it would be a huge incentive to push ahead with the other improvements our education system needs so desperately.
The list of other issues that will crop up this year is endless, ranging from prescription drugs and long-term care for the elderly, to energy policy, early childhood education, tourism promotion, crime and punishment.
All will grab a fair amount of attention and all are worthy of legislative action. But the key this year is to focus on the issues that will prepare Hawai'i to recover from the shocks of Sept. 11.
Those are, we submit, putting together a reasonable budget that preserves essential state services, kick-starts our economy and makes a spectacular declaration of support for the education of Hawai'i's young people.
