History professor Op-ed on Budget Cuts

By Evan Rohar

Sarah Laslett from Evergreen's Labor Education and Research Center sent out an op-ed article published in the Seattle Times on tesccrier. Its author, James N. Gregory, is a professor of history and director of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies at the University of Washington. It is an excellent article outlining the argument against budget cuts during this severe recession. Here's an excerpt and link to this important article:

"When the private sector stalls, government needs to step in. It needs to spend money and increase employment in ways that might seem reckless in normal times. They talked about big public-works projects in 1931 and they passed an income tax to pay for it. But Gov. Roland Hartley vetoed both.

"The governor said he needed to follow the law, enforce a balanced budget and protect taxpayers. As a result, state spending declined in 1931. Seattle officials followed suit, laying off city workers instead of expanding employment.

"Gov. Christine Gregoire and the Legislature are on track to repeat the mistakes of 1931. Committed to balancing the state budget as required by current law, the governor has already ordered state agencies to cut more than $590 million and is proposing to slash another $5 billion to $6 billion in the next budget cycle.

"That will destroy as many as 20,000 jobs, adding to the state's escalating unemployment problem. It will mean drastic cutbacks in health and social services just when they are most needed. It will mean that college applicants will be turned away, hurting young people and further burdening the job market. It will damage, perhaps permanently, our universities and other institutions vital to the future of Washington. This is not what we need at this perilous juncture." ("As Olympia wrestles with a budget crisis, can it avoid the mistakes of 1931?" 12/5/08)