Street roots., June 12, 2009, Page 7, Image 7

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C E L E B R A T IN G Ä D E C A D E
street roots
Education * Dialogue * Independence
By the grace of
Margaret Carter
BY MARA GRUNBAUM
As co-chair o f
STAFF W R IT E R
M.G.: What did you have to sacrifice in the
tate Sen. Margaret Carter has a front
budget you came up with?
seat in Oregon’s budget process this
year: the seven-term Portland
M.C.: There are a lot of things that I Wish
democrat is serving as co-chair of the Joint we could have done differently. I wish we
Ways and Means Committee, whjch makes
could have, given more money to seniors and
budget and revenue decisions.
7
people with disabilities. I’m hopeful that •
A former teacher and counselor, and
those (revenue) measures pass so that we
herself a single mother of nine, Carter, now
won’t have to close schools. I’m hopeful that
73, says she has personal perspective on
they’ll pass so that our cotirt system will
: the struggles of low-income Oregonians:
stay open.
“Been there, experienced that,” In her
Senate post, she has advocated for women. '
M.G.: W hat’s still ahead?
and minorities, schools and housing equity.
The recommended budget that she and
M.C.: (One thing) up for discussion now
Co-Chair Rep. Peter Buckley released May
is how we manage to pay for employment-
18 restores many of the human services
related day care — women who are trying to
that Gov. Ted Kulongoski suggested cutting,
make ends meet While staying a member of
but it also relies on the Legislature
the work force. That’s a very, very,
approving $800 million in new tax revenue.
important thing to have happen. Because
Carter spoke to Street Roots from Salem
many young parents, young women say, “I
about her take on the budget process and
want td be able to make it on my own, to go
the challenges still ahead this session.
to school and become independent — that’s
the only way that I’m going to be able to
make it.” Because of the cost of day care,
it’s hard to do th at Not being able to work
forces
them into a lifestyle where they are
" I want the revenue package to pass so that
relying on the state.
we don't have such high Incidences of having
If we can find other resources, I’d like to
to cut people o il welfare, and then they fa ll
be able to give money to young women. I
remember being a single mom, and as a
through the cracks because they have no
single mom I didn’t have anyone to help me
other place to go. They absolutely have no
With children. Except for being able to have
other place to go."
some opportunity through the state,i would
not have made it to be where I am today.
But I was able to do that because there was
opportunity for me then, and I’d like to be
M ara G runbaum : How do yo u prioritize
able to pass on that same level of
fu n d in g in an extremely poor financial
opportunity through the graciousness of the
situation?
taxpayers of this state.
tbe state Ways
an d M eans
Committee the
veteran
senator is in a
push-pull
battle in
Salem to
preserve
fu n d in g fo r
Oregon's most
vulnerable
8
M argaret Carter: It’s been quite a
challenging time — challenging in the sense
that resources are needed in order to do
this budget and to do it in a way by which
the most vulnerable are not sacrificed. The
money is not here, and the only means we
have of, trying to get some money is by
sending a revenue package to the people.
History has shown us that that’s not always
a good way to do it, because the people
usually have turned down the measures. [In
2004, a similar tax package was overturned
by public referendum.] If the measures don’t
pass, it will force us back into session in
February. Maybe in February, we will have
no choice but to cut i t It’s challenging, to
say the least
M.G.: How do you avoid ending up in the
same place, having to make more drastic cuts,
in another two years?
M.C.: We have a tax system that does not
effectively allow us to have any kind of
consistency in how we do business. Every
time we have a downfall in the economy, we
don’t have a rainy-day fund. If we were able
to take the kicker and put that into a rainy-
day fund, then we would have opportunity to
maximize not having to close our schools
and everything, else when we run into these
kinds of downturns. When you run into
these kinds of downturns, the people that
are low-income are impacted the m ost The
welfare rolls are increased, and at the same
time, we are trying to make ends meet, and
we can’t do it because so many people are
laid off.
M.G.: I f the financial situation does
improve, how do you make sure that those low-
income people who’ve fallen the farthest - been
laid off, lost their homes or fallen out o f the
service system - aren’t left out o f the recovery?
M.C.: We can’t ensure that without some
new revenue on the table. New revenue on
die table means that we then can help our
most vulnerable, but short-of new revenue,
we aren’t going to be able to do i t
First of all, the national economists have
said that we’re not going to see a change in
the national economy until about September
of 2010. If that happens, that means that
the economic marketplace is not going to
change, aiid we are still going to have high
levels of unemployment.
If the people say no to this revenue
package that we’re sending but, that means
we’ve got to go back in and cut more, and
you can believe that a lot of people are
going to suffer at the hands of this budget
. I want the revenue package to pass so
that we don’t have such high incidences of
having to cut people off welfare, and then
they fall through the cracks because they
have no other place to go. They absolutely
have.no other place to go.
This is a time that we as Oregonians are
all in this together. I am definitely going to
be doing all I can to make a difference in
the lives of those who cannot help
themselves except but by the grace of God.