Porter on year-end close-out: Indiana continues to excel at hoarding money

INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis), ranking Democrat on the Indiana House Ways & Means Committee, today issued the following statement on the announcement of the state budget close-out earlier today:

“For those who control our state treasury, the year-end close-out serves only one clear function: an opportunity to pat themselves on the back for their fiscal wizardry. We must gaze in awe at our ability to hoard billions of dollars.

“While we are thankful for a robust surplus, we are saving way too much money at the expense of funding tangible needs for our state.

“What continues to stand out about these yearly announcements is the absolute lack of ambition our Republican leadership shows in anything except squirrelling your tax dollars away. There are serious problems facing our state, and yet we toss those concerns aside to gloat over a magic figure of $2 billion.

“Since this occasion will provide yet another instance for the governor and his supermajorities to make the dubious claim that the new state budget provides more funding to education than ever before, I am compelled to note that hundreds of school corporations across Indiana will not share in that bounty. They will continue to make do with less, while we continue to experiment with vouchers and charters and virtual charters and on and on and on.

“It’s not like there aren’t a few things out there that need our attention.

“With an extra $12 million or so, we could add pre-school programs for five or six more counties.

“Throw in an extra $80 million and we could double the amount of money that local units of government can use to fill potholes and fix a few streets. Heck, some of them could even use that money to help make some flooded roads passable and maybe allow farmers to get whatever crops they have left to market.

“Even by including these items, we still would keep our surplus near their cherished $2 billion. By the way, it would help some people now rather than have us wait until later, when a crisis erupts and we finally decide we have to do something.

“But are we really being bold and aggressive here on behalf of a Hoosier middle class that continues to suffer?

“The answer is no, just like it was last year and the year before that and so on.”