We are now entering the state of unconstitutional debt

by Jack Stapleton, Jr.

Webster provides at least 22 different definitions for the noun/adjective/verb “state.” This word is one of the most versatile and utilized words in the English language. As a noun it can be used to identify one of the 50 U.S. states or it can be used in connection with foreign governments. As an adjective it’s often used to describe a state of mind, and as a verb it becomes a declaration of formality of speech. It’s not uncommon for us to refer to “the state,” a phrase that carries with it the connotation of the State of Missouri. This implies a great collective force that is both inevitable and omnipotent.

Perceived in this light, then, the word takes on various shades of definition, depending on who is making the interpretation. To a family dependent on monthly subsistence checks from Jefferson City, it is the difference between life and starvation, between bare existence and total deprivation. To thousands of business owners, the state is a regulatory nuisance requiring constant deposits of collected taxes and regular payments for earned-income liabilities.

Hundreds of thousands of others depend on the state for every last bit of medical assistance. Thousands of others rely solely on the state for their state of mind. A great number view the state as their institutional guardian.

The state’s largest constituency, however, is children who are dependent on its largesse for everything from food, clothing and shelter to as much as 16 to 20 years of education, an obligation that starts at kindergarten and extends through advanced collegiate degrees. The state has become the lifeblood of public schools. Our schools have increasingly grown more and more dependant on checks from the state’s capital for the maintenance and hopefully the improvement of their vital services.

States have a service constituency that is perhaps proportionately even greater than the federal government. It includes a huge variety of recipients from the very young to the very old, from the mentally ill to incarcerated felons, from the medically deprived to the mentally and physically challenged, from the one-owner store to huge corporations with operations that more closely resemble governments than enterprises.

Despite this vast agenda, however, the governed know virtually nothing about this vital governmental component. Many people don’t even know the names of their elected officials, with virtually no understanding of the complexities of maintaining services and the challenges of improving them. Elected state officials are treated with indifference by the very persons they serve. It is almost redundant to note that little or no respect is accorded both elected and appointed officials who have devoted long years to serving constituents.

The challenge of today’s state governments across America is correctly assessing needs with resources, a polite way of saying balancing their budgets. In contrast to the federal government, states may not spend more in any fiscal year than they have received in revenue; there’s no floating of deficits from one year to the next, no borrowing from tomorrow to pay today’s obligations. States operate under much more stringent fiscal rules than the households of their constituents; credit cards are superfluous plastic in state capitols.

In an effort to improve the economic lives of their citizens, states have increasingly engaged in efforts to improve and expand job opportunities, sometimes granting special incentives demanded by huge corporations and sometimes responding to special interest requests based more on cultural popularity than merit. Attempts are being made on a regular basis to secure public funds for private purposes and gain, the most current one involving the construction of a new baseball stadium.

Before this attempt wins favor in our state capital, let’s review a provision in the state constitution: “The general assembly shall not have the power to give or lend or to authorize the giving or lending of the credit of the state in aid or to any person, association, municipal or other corporation.”

Clear enough?

[Missouri News & Editorial Service, Inc. Copyright (C) 2001 MNES Corp.]