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Rout out the TABOR scoundrels

By Ed Muir

“Citizens of this state took a look at what was a good sound bite, and decided that maybe it was not good public policy.”—Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) is a Colorado constitutional amendment passed in the 1990s that bars state or local governments from raising taxes without a vote of the people. That bollixing up of the smooth operation of government is bad enough, but TABOR’s worst feature is a harsh spending cap. TABOR shrank Colorado’s services and undermined its economy. While other states were adding low-income children to the insurance rolls, Colorado was losing kids because of Medicaid cuts. School spending dropped, and so did the graduation rate. During the recession, Colorado had the worst job losses in its region because the state was not able to invest in infrastructure or training programs. It was such a mess that last year voters pulled the plug, suspending TABOR for five years.

Where most saw failure, a group called Americans for Limited Government (ALG) saw success. In 2005, it began pushing for legislatures in more than 20 states to refer TABOR amendments to the voters. And in states where amendments can be put on the ballot via petition, ALG’s network worked with contractors to pay for TABOR signature gathering. Backed by ALG’s chairman, real estate investor Howard Rich, the group spent more than $1l million to qualify initiatives in 10 states. The goal was to limit services and brew up anti-government sentiment in order to influence the November elections.

Election Day is fast upon us, and TABOR will be on the ballot for certain in Maine and Oregon. At this writing, it may get to the ballot in Montana and Nebraska as well, pending court action. There are tough fights ahead in these states. But it could have been much worse. Grass-roots activism by coalitions that included AFT affiliates in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin successfully educated voters about TABOR and documented for the courts the fraudulent practices of the contractors gathering signatures.

For supporters, it’s of no concern that TABOR doesn’t target waste, but starves the good with the bad. It’s an opportunity to portray public employees not as servants but as wasteful bureaucrats, and to paint politicians as pigs feeding at the public trough. Elected officials have an incentive to run away from these politics. But part of the reason
TABOR fizzled in many states is that these officials had the courage to stand up.

In Kansas, as noted above, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was a champion of common sense. Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell went on record saying such ideas “just don’t work … they’re terrible chokes—albatrosses—in bad economic times.” In Wisconsin, Gov. Jim Doyle told voters, “I cannot support political gimmicks that will harm Wisconsin’s future.” Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski both issued challenges to Howard Rich to come to their states to debate TABOR.

How do you beat an $11 million takeover of citizen-elected government? With courage and common sense. When our governors and legislators show real leadership, it’s important to notice.

Ed Muir is associate director of the AFT research and information services department.

 

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