This article was written by Bill Brockmiller, Local 2748 Chapter 10 Vice-Chair, and was published in the April 2004 issue of the Western Wisconsin Union Herald.

TABOR is Wrong for Wisconsin

Like a freight train that has left the tracks and is barreling down to crush a small town in the valley below, the proposed amendment to the Wisconsin constitution called, “TABOR” is coming. And like that freight train will destroy the village it barrels down on, crushing schools, roads, parks, and all that stands in its way. So does TABOR, a bill aimed directly at the infrastructure, educational system, and services that set apart Wisconsin as one of the best states to live and raise a family.

What exactly is this “TABOR”? (Also erroneously named the “Tax Payer Bill of Rights”) TABOR will impose strict spending limits on the state, local government, schools and technical colleges. It freezes all taxes at the rate of inflation. Taxes collected in excess of those spending limits must be returned to taxpayers, and tax rates would have to be reduced accordingly. Voter approval in a referendum would be required for any tax increases, spending increases and most borrowing by government units.

O.K., at first glance, I’ve got to admit the average taxpayer might just think, “Well, sounds like a good idea to me.” “I’m all for freezing my taxes.” But it’s a horrendous idea, and has created destruction and tragedy in previous states that have tried this ill-conceived idea. TABOR would remove almost all the tools officials need to improve service as time changes (i.e. hiring of more workers). Under TABOR you could only reduce the workforce, as services cannot be restored even when revenue is available and population increases, called the “ratcheting down” effect.

The state would no longer be able to keep the level of services with which it supplies its citizens. A majority of units of government at all levels would be privatized. Among the first things privatized would be healthcare facilities, prisons and highway workers. State and Local Governments cannot have rainy-day funds. All leftover taxes must be returned to the taxpayer, which sounds good until there is a state emergency and the money is not there to help you. Would you rather receive $10 back a year or give the government the ability to help you in times of an emergency which might end up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Colorado adopted TABOR in 1992, and that state now is suffering the consequences. Many Colorado legislators and citizens are working to undo the damage that TABOR has caused there.

By 2000, Colorado had fallen to a ranking of 50th in K-12 spending per $1000 of personal income, spent less than most other states on public health, was below the national average in immunization rates, was at the bottom in prenatal care, had the highest rate of uninsured low-income children in the nation, was almost the last among states in high school graduation rates, ranked almost last in state investment in higher education and the arts, and had a growing list of highway projects that had not been funded.

Colorado is facing a fiscal crisis that has led to a downgrading of the state's bond rating and analysts specifically blame TABOR for making the fiscal crisis worse. The bond rating agencies are not the first outside observers to recognize the havoc that TABOR is playing with Colorado's finances. In a pair of studies in 1999, Governing magazine ranked Colorado's finances as among the worst managed in the country, due to TABOR.

I urge my fellow union members (and non-members who care about the quality of life in our great state) to contact your legislator with an email against TABOR.