Hoodwinking cap

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

 

The Patriot-News story on state spending caps (Dec. 5) repeats unchallenged three statements of spending cap proponents designed to hoodwink the public into believing the caps are a modest, common-sense reform.

 

The article states that Pennsylvania would become the 27th state with a cap on spending while omitting the fact that Pennsylvania's legislation would be the second-most stringent cap in the country.

 

The article reports the claim of Senate spokesman Erik Arneson that spending for 2006-07 could increase by $800 million under the cap. The Patriot-News fails to point out that this "nominal dollar" (not "real") increase would not even cover the rising cost of what state government currently buys, requiring cuts in state-purchased goods and services each year.

 

Arneson is also reported as saying that, in the last 34 years, state spending growth would have been below the cap one-third of the time. In fact, in only three of the last 20 years has Pennsylvania's growth in spending been below the proposed cap. Over that same 20 years, Arneson's "recipe for smart, controlled, responsible growth" -- which he says is "not draconian" -- would have slashed state government by nearly a quarter. What shrinkage of state government would satisfy Mr. Arneson as draconian?

 

The Patriot-News kept the Legislature honest on the pay-raise issue. It is unfortunate that the paper does not apply the same level of scrutiny or skepticism to the ongoing debate on spending caps.

 

-- STEPHEN HERZENBERG, Executive director, Keystone Research Center Harrisburg