By Ryan Fisher and Stephanie Tama-Sweet
In Oregon, we care about our neighbors. We've demonstrated this through the communities we've built. We work together to see families through crises. We look after kids when their families can't. We help seniors with rides and meals so they can live in their own homes longer. We do this and more because we know that by building the systems to do these things, we build the foundations for healthy communities and a strong middle class.
Currently, that foundation is threatened, and Oregonians are right to be deeply concerned. Recent public hearings on the state budget have been dominated by public outrage about a list of budget cuts that are too long and too deep. These cuts will hurt all of us, and all of our communities. We'll be less resilient in the face of the challenges posed by everyday life.
The list includes deep cuts to the already bare-bones support we provide to our lowest-income families; family support for children with developmental disabilities; reductions in services to individuals leaving domestic violence; and cuts to the systems that help ensure our seniors receive quality care and are given a chance to stay in their homes rather than move into nursing home facilities.
We have other options. It's too soon to uproot the foundations we've laid. Legislators should first take every step possible to find efficiencies in the system, use available resources and consider additional revenue options.
Where should we start? We offer the following suggestions to our elected leaders:
Collect what's owed to us: Ramp-up enforcement and collection of delinquent tax payments by scofflaws who currently owe Oregon back taxes.
Be smarter on crime: We need less costly and more effective approaches to public safety. Address and prevent the root cause of problems and keep our communities safe. Investing in treatment on the front end to reduce prison system costs on the back end is common sense. Prison is no substitute for a mental health system stretched to the breaking point
It's raining: We have stability funds and rainy-day accounts for moments just like this. We need to use the resources we have available to help meet today's needs.
Patch the holes in our tax system: A 15 percent reduction in itemized deductions for the highest earners would collect an additional $500 million.
Innovate: Enable further improvements to service delivery at state agencies. Continued focus on this will create savings and efficiencies.
Keep an open mind about revenue solutions: Raising the tobacco tax by $1, for instance, would raise more than $150 million over the biennium, according to the most conservative estimates, in addition to significant public health benefits.
We are recovering from an unprecedented economic crisis. While we appreciate the significant progress that our elected leaders have made to develop a budget in these tough times, much more is needed. We must work together to ensure that children and families, our neighbors, have a strong foundation for their lives. Let's work together to write a state budget that reflects Oregon's true priorities.
Ryan Fisher and Stephanie Tama-Sweet are co-chairs of the Human Services Coalition of Oregon.