A little too far to starboard

You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, nor can you get blood from a turnip. But try telling that to some of the more belligerent legislators at the statehouse.

Some of these folks, along with the ones who put them into office, seem to believe they can enjoy good highways and roads, police and fire protection, public schools for their kids, and a little extra financial boost for the poor and the elderly without paying taxes.

It doesn’t work that way, and never has. Despite earlier campaign promises, some legislative leaders – like House Speaker Chris Benge – have seen the writing on the wall, and have come to understand that in these troubled times, partisan rhetoric isn’t cutting the mustard.

Yet members of Benge’s own political party are attacking him because he says now is not the time to cap property taxes. Some of his colleagues want him out on his ear because he can’t make good on the rash – and unworkable – pledges they themselves made to voters.

Do they think closing schools, or cutting their budgets to the bone, are viable alternatives? If so, they might need to study up on what happened in California.

That state was once viewed as the diamond standard among educational systems. Students educated in public schools were treated to aggressive and progressive curricula that ensured consistently high scores on any measure of achievement. And any student who was willing to expend sincere effort, regardless of family income, could go to one of California’s exceptional state universities.

Then, along came what proponents still affectionately refer to as “Prop 13.” A populist response to out-of-control property valuation in that state, it was passed with wide support to prevent taxes from accelerating too rapidly – particularly on older people, who, it was said, were being taxed out of their homes. Only if you actually sold your home could your property taxes be adjusted substantially.

But Prop 13 swung too far the other way. It had no way of anticipating the future worth of homes in certain areas, so even though values, incomes and expenses rose, taxes remained flat, and many public entities – schools, fire departments and the like – have been forced to operate with essentially the same budgets they had 20 or 30 years ago.

More than a quarter of a century after Prop 13 took effect, California’s schools are no longer the pillars they once were, and are in fact struggling tremendously in terms of quality. Prop 13 also acted as a disincentive to sell real estate, and serious equity problems in the state’s tax system, rendering that aspect of it regressive. Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger knows it’s a stumbling block to overcoming the state’s financial woes. But he also knows Prop 13 is sacrosanct, especially to a legion of well-heeled retirees, and repealing it would not have done much for his political career.

Oklahoma doesn’t need any help slumping into oblivion. What it does need is insightful politicians who care more about what their constituents need in the long run, than what special interests scream for in the short term.

The state’s largest newspaper, The Oklahoman, is known far and wide as the lead watchdog among conservative media entities in this region. But recently, it opined on how our state government has swung too far to the right. If this crimson-red publication is decrying the polarization, backbiting, sniping and hard-to-starboard tilt, that should tell us something.

When the Legislature reconvenes, its members need to curtail the hostilities and work together. That’s something rational folks can agree on. And as for the irrational folks, it’s time to turn a deaf ear.