Watered-down amendment no substitute for discipline

Tuesday, May 2, 2006 2:11 AM CDT

In the dark of the night the final version of the state Republican-backed constitutional amendment to limit state spending finally winged its way toward the Assembly floor early Friday.

Finally Assembly Speaker John Gard, R-Peshtigo, got the votes needed for passage - slim passage on a 50-48 vote shortly after 4:30 a.m.

The Associated Press account of the historic vote to amend the state's Constitution noted that "several lawmakers struggled to keep their eyes open and several dozed in their seats."

Democrats railed against the Republicans for trying to pass a constitutional amendment they drafted in the wee hours without a public hearing.

"I cannot believe you think this is a good way to amend the cornerstone of our democracy," said Rep. Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee.

By dawn's early light, Gard was defending the package as a glass that was "half full." Others - including some Republicans - were characterizing it more as half-baked.

It is rather a mess.

Earlier on Thursday night the Assembly had rejected a broader version that would have clamped spending limits on both local and state governments. Republicans then went into secret meetings to recraft a version that would apply only to state government.

That's not really the case, of course. Local governments rely heavily on state funding support so a lid on state spending would translate immediately to cuts in aid to local governments - cuts that would require either local spending cuts or, that's right, property tax increases.

The measure approved by the Assembly would limit increases in state revenue to 90 percent of the growth in personal income in the state.

GOP conservatives - some of whom voted against the final version - complained that it was rife with loopholes because it didn't limit state bonding, would set the stage for "huge increases" in state fees and spur the creation of segregated funds that would be outside the limits.

As the constitutional spending limit limps toward the state Senate, its chances seem questionable. And that would only be the first hurdle. It would have to pass two consecutive legislative sessions and then a statewide referendum before the Constitution would be changed.

We understand the attraction for politicians to be able to boast they have voted to limit government spending on their campaign literature. But we believe that is a function of legislation - and does not belong in the state's Constitution.

What is lacking here is legislative self-discipline - the ability to say no to new spending.

We have only to look back a few days to find an example. On Tuesday the Senate voted to require lifetime global positioning system monitoring of some sex offenders who assaulted children. That may or may not be a fine idea - but it carries some potentially enormous costs and would require hiring more state workers every year.

While some changes were made to lessen the amount of monitoring that would be required, an initial estimate by the state Department of Corrections is the GPS system would cost $7 million to monitor 650 offenders in the first couple of years and then balloon to almost 13,000 offenders and $52 million in costs within two decades.

This in a state that already faces a $1.5 billion deficit in the next two-year budget. One lawmaker told a Milwaukee newspaper last week that the best thing the Legislature could do is to close up shop and go home before it bankrupts the state because it has been adding on $10 million in new spending each month.

The answer to the state's financial ills and to its high-tax status isn't found in using the Constitution as a budget document, it's right in front of the governor and the Legislature: stop spending.

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