LETTER WORTH REPRINTING HERE

I believe this letter to the editor is worth reprinting:

Richard A. Vining
Letter to the Editor
of Mobile's Register


Letter to the Editor May 18, 2003
P. O. Box 2488 Re: Comments On The Proposed Budget
Mobile, AL 36652-2488


The Proposed Budget by the State and Education Dept. is an example of unparalleled greed. After the best year of tax collecting in Alabama's History it is brave to try to pull off what the Governor, Executive Dept. and the Education Dept. is attempting.


Here are some examples: Year 2002/2003 Year 2003/2000 Increase
Examiner of Public Accounts 12,337,741 6,000,000 30%
Ag &Cons Development Comm. 2,429,970 4,361,646 79%
Dept of Corrections 233,983,663 348,688,820 49%
Criminal Justice Info Center 2,551,475 3,294,488 77%
Alabama Developmental Office 4,400,252 5,767,321 31%
Environmental Management 5,780,494 16,235,159 280%
Dept of Forensic Sciences, Dept of 7,645,575 15,412,666 202%
Health, Dept of Public 56,261,629 79,409,627 34%
Human Resources, Dept. of 72,899,443 93,118,627 28%
Mental Health, Dept of 96,832,631 114,848,820 17%
Military Department 4,767,839 6,220,331 31%
Pardon and Parole, Board of 13,887,497 19,689,425 42%
Senior Service, Dept of 10,044,976 17,939,976 79%


Total For the State 1,264,918,386 1,635,260,029 29%


State Dept of Education
Archives and History 504,930 1,340,000 265%
Children's Affairs, Dept of 680,805 7,441,905 1093%
K-12 Foundation Program 2,541,287,878 2,625,131,368 15%
Additional Teacher Units 0 16,000,000 new budget item
Transportation 194,389,291 226,454,381 16%
Total Increase K-12 2,790,010,911 2,921.790.853 16.6%


This is an increase of $ 131,787,762 in K-12 Cost


State Board two year College system Added New Budget Items
Skilled Workforce Initiative 20,000,000
Common Administrative System 200,000
Deferred Maintenance 4,870,000 (+58,070,000 )
Priority Schools 3,000,000
Social Promotion Initiative 8,000,000
Special Education 22,000,000


Adult Basic Education 5,778,447 8,780,000 52%
Math, Science & Tech. Initiative 237,600 2,237,600 941%
Education Television Commission 8,975,500 10,577,334 12%
Examiners of Public Accounts 2,960,725 4,625,020 56%
Student Assistance Program 1,326,933 5,986,460 51%
Medical Scholarships 395,694 2,800,000 708%
Supercomputer Authority 2,567,272 6,500,000 253%
Veteran Affairs (Education Benefits) 6,378,400 10,000,000 56%
Total U of Ala. System 379,395,997 436,240,102 15%
Total Ala A & M 31,848,863 39,650,917 20%
Total Auburn University 206,337,817 224,104,213 9%
Total Colleges and Schools 851,372,052 973,616,528 14%
Total Education Trust Fund 4,153,145,594 4,519,707,757 9%
Total Increase in Education Cost $ 366,562,163 9%
Total cost of the Increase In the State Budget $ 370,341,643 29%


All foregoing examples are from the proposed state budgets. You may visit this site via the Internet at:
www.budget.state.al.us/stgovfin.html


With such a large increase in nearly every department's budget it is easy to see why there is a deficit in the state budget !!
Very few asked for the same or little more this year!
They knew they had a Governor who will try and increase taxes so they made very large budget requests for their departments.
It is true that some state agencies have been shorted in recent years. Everyone who pays attention knows that the Dept of Correction, the Dept of Public Safety, Judicial and the Medicaid Program need additional funding.


I will not accept any new taxes without a sunset provision of 5 years, and the promise and plan to reduce the size of state government 5% per year for the next 5 to 10 years. This should include reduction in all state and all the education depts. with the exception of Judicial, Medicaid, Corrections and the Department of Public Safety which has not been properly funded in the last 4 years.


The state of Alabama is 13th in the nation in the number of state employees. (Source Ala Family Institute by Gary Palmer) Therefore cutting state employees will not affect services. Only 50% of state education money goes to education today compared to 90% in 1960. In the last 6 years there have been 6150 new teachers hired while students decreased by 9,000.
State funding has increasing 5 billion dollars from 1997 to 2003. .
This is a 40.38% increase in spending in 6 years!
According to the US Census data the average Alabamian pays 24.5% of their personal income to state and local government. This is higher than the Southeastern and National average. It is immoral and unethical to ask for more taxes.
The Tax and Spend Hogs in Montgomery will never get enough
Governor Bob Riley is giving the Democrats what they want, and will be a one-term governor. He has forgotten he only won by 3000 votes!!


Sincerely, Richard A. Vining, Coden, P. O. Box 346, AL 36523