Posted on: Wednesday, April 14, 2004

EDITORIAL
Democrats playing politics with money

When it comes to paying state employees, it's pretty hard to escape two conclusions regarding Democratic lawmakers:

• They're playing partisan games when it comes to funding management positions Gov. Linda Lingle thinks she needs, as well as funding long-delayed pay raises for the governor herself and her department heads.

Lingle was close to the mark when she called it "politics at its worst."

The proposed executive salary increases, the first in 14 years — do you know anyone else who hasn't had a raise in a decade and a half? — were recommended by a commission created by these same lawmakers.

What's the point of creating an advisory body if they're not going to heed its advice?

Senate Ways and Means Sen. Brian Taniguchi said he opposed the pay raises, and also cut funding, first for Lingle's Cabinet-level tourism liaison office, and then for her senior policy adviser, to economize in tight times.

If you believe Taniguchi is inspired solely by public-spirited parsimony, explain to us this next item.

• The Democrats seem to have concluded that those same tight times do not prohibit taking care of the public worker unions.

This began to become evident last year when they restored binding arbitration for public worker contracts, over Lingle's veto.

It became more evident this year when in response to Lingle's plea not to fund an over-generous award for 23,000 HGEA members, lawmakers instead budgeted $75 million to cover not only the HGEA raises, but raises for teachers and UPW employees that haven't even been negotiated yet.

It may have been reasonable to set aside money for the other units, which will undoubtedly seek the same raise won by the HGEA.

But it is foolish to fund only the first year of the raises without explaining where the money will come from for subsequent years of the contract.

This was Lingle's essential message last week when she said the state cannot afford the arbitrator's award. The first year is easy, she said, but the out years become increasingly expensive and difficult to cover.

Playing politics with such issues casts great doubt on credibility the majority Democrats are developing in other areas, such as their education-reform package.