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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Frank
EDITORIAL EDITORS
Kameron Cole
Stefanie Knowllon
r*i
Governor
Kitzbaber's
proposed
budget is
great for
higher
education,
but it may
create
trouble for
the Oregon
Hecdtb Plan
It is always nice to
see someone keep a
promise, so seeing a
politician keep a
promise fills us with un
paralleled glee.
So kudos to Gov. John
Kitzhaber for making
good on his campaign
pledge to budget more
money for higher educa
tion.
The 1999-2001
spending plan, unveiled
on Tuesday, calls for an
additional $73 million
to go to state colleges
and universities. Some
of the tastier perks that
will accompany this
windfall include contin
uation of the in-state tu
ition freeze, better re
cruitment and retention
programs and better cur
riculum and facilities.
That’s not all the bud
get contains. There’s
also additional funding
for juvenile crime pre
vention, transportation
and education in gener
al. Perhaps best of all
there are no new taxes
being proposed to pay
for any of the budget’s
provisions.
But in government, no
one can get ahead with
out the screws being put
to someone else. So it is
with this budget propos
al. The whipping boy of
choice? The Oregon
Health Plan.
Because the budget
does not call for any
new taxes, Kitzhaber
had to do some interest
ing juggling with state
funds.
Largely due to de
creasing revenue and in
creasing costs, the
health plan will face
cuts in services, and it
will be more difficult to
qualify if the proposed
budget passes.
Furthermore, if the
budget passes as writ
ten, and the state Legis
lature allows the current
10-cents-a-pack ciga
rette tax to expire, then
there would have to be
more cutbacks to the
Oregon Health Plan to
make up for the lost rev
enue.
You might want to
prepare yourself for this
next part. Where would
the cuts come from?
Coverage for college stu
dents, low-income preg
nant women and their
babies and low-income
children under 19.
This being the case, it
is likely that the Legisla
ture will opt to keep the
cigarette tax in place. It’s
doubtful that they
would want to take re
sponsibility for yanking
health care away from
poor women, children
and students.
And Kitzhaber, no
doubt, realizes this.
Okay, so it might be a bit
of a dirty trick for him to
back the Legislature into
such a tight comer, but
it will probably work.
Obviously, the Legis
lature should go ahead
and continue the ciga
rette tax, even though re
cent rises in cigarette
prices might increase re
sistance to even the
slightest fluctuation in
price. There’s nothing
that can justify taking
health care away from
the people who need it
the most.
This editorial represents
the opinion of the Emer
ald editorial hoard. Re
sponses may be sent to
ode@oregon. uoregon edit
I’M. MIKE WALLACE..
/
i’m ed Bradley,.
/
I’M MOftlEy SAFER...
/
I'M LESLEY STAHL...
/
I'M STEVE KRofT.
i
~anpa Few Minutes
WITH A LOONEY...
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THEY’RE TOUGH
ON THESE NEW
RECRUITS..,
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HFS TALKING
TO
CLINTON...
/
Thumbs
TO FINANCIAL
AID ON LINE:
A new system
being tested at
universities
around the
country would
allow students
to apply on line
and view their
account infor
mation without
ever stepping
toot into a cam
pus financial aid
office.
TO BILL GATES:
The multi-bil
lionaire and his
wife are donat
ing $100 million
to pay for child
hood vaccina
tions in under
developed
countries.
TO THE HOUSE
JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE;
For attempting to
add campaign fi
nance charges to
President Clin
ton’s impeach
ment inquiry, a
move that would
undoubtedly
drag the pro
ceedings out
longer.
TO CIGARETTE
PRICE HIKES;
By raising the
per-packcostof
cigarettes, the
tobacco compa
nies have man
aged to wrangle
out of the tobac
co settlement.
With the in
creased prices,
the money lost in
the settlement
should be re
couped in no
time.