It's tempting to enter this holiday season and forthcoming General Assembly session by thinking that solving the state budget crisis will be an all-or-nothing proposition. Presentations and grandstanding by the media and both political parties would have us believe that one of two things will happen: Either the sky will fall or the day will be saved. Your view of how this mess will be fixed is almost entirely dependent on what team you play for and how much rationality you'd like to inject into that thinking.
Make no mistake, however. The budget will be cut. The opportunity in front of lawmakers is from where those cuts should come. As for the freshman politicians eagerly waiting to redline the budget, I encourage them to exercise realism.
You may very well feel like Little Virginia, sending an innocent note off to Santa Claus about meeting this deficit by cuts alone. Does it exist? Is it real? Can a $3.5 billion deficit be solved by cuts alone? Dear, sweet Virginia, the citizenry will correct that notion for you. You cannot solve the budget crisis on cuts alone. Should you attempt such, you will feel the wrath of a scorned constituency when it suddenly realizes that vital public services have been taken away.
Smart, efficient cuts are ripe for the taking if only the right leaders will pay attention. The state budget can absolutely be adjusted without causing undue harm or jeopardy to our citizens.
Rather than across-the-board cuts, let's make government more efficient and maintain services that our residents depend upon. Rather than reducing the number of correctional officers keeping our neighborhoods safe, lawmakers can open up the no-bid sweetheart contract that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has with the State Health Plan.
Rather than reducing health care services for children and our seniors, legislators can institute a moratorium on all private contracts and consultants. Rather than reimbursing medical providers (hospitals, doctors and pharmacists) at different rates, the state should negotiate the best rate for all services.
We need to maximize taxpayer resources and get the best deal for taxpayers. Instead of constricting the N.C. Community College system, let's sell the governor's mountain estate in Asheville. Surely the state could get a good price for 6,000 square feet, 18 acres and a ridgeline view.
We are seeing another tragic consequence of bad budget cuts. The U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating the integrity of North Carolina's mental health system, shining a long-overdue light on the erosion of quality treatment options for this vulnerable population. The state has facilities in place that could help this cause, yet Dorothea Dix Hospital is still slated to shutter its doors.
It's unfortunate that the Justice Department probe is coming almost 10 years after the state's initial attempt at reform. People in need of mental health care do not belong in emergency rooms or holding cells at the local jail. This state is obligated to provide a safe and effective system for their care. Period.
This gross oversight is yet another example of a missed opportunity for lawmakers to work with the state's own citizens and employees to address issues directly. Mental health challenges can present as a disability. But in a brash effort to reduce the bottom line, state leaders absolved themselves of responsibility to some of our most defenseless and disabled citizens. This was a bad cut.
In the November election, the State Employees Association of North Carolina was the only group to raise the issue of how cuts to public services affect citizens. In a series of advertisements, state employees held former House Majority Leader Rep. Hugh Holliman accountable for the havoc wreaked by his decisions to make budget cuts to mental health care services. Voters responded strongly and ejected him from office.
In the end, this isn't about Holliman or any other individual politician. This recent election served as a reminder to lawmakers both old and new: You are being watched by citizens and our federal government. The message being sent is clear. Citizens expect quality public services that are provided efficiently and thoughtfully. So make your cuts, but make them carefully.
Dana Cope is executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, SEIU Local 2008.
