Economic Opportunity Institute: Citizens need long-term investment from the state

[eridani]

http://washingtonpolicywatch.org/

That’s why our government doesn’t — and shouldn’t — exist to turn a profit. It exists to build long-term value in people. And that’s why our legislators should persist in making public investments that benefit the public as a whole.

Those averse to that idea will commonly say the state doesn’t have any money, despite the fact that personal income in Washington has grown by $50 billion since 2009. That’s about $7,500 per resident — but since almost all of the gains have gone to the top 1 percent, most people are no better off. Washington’s tax system doesn’t touch the income of the most privileged, so even though our “family income” has increased dramatically, our state doesn’t have sufficient funds for schools, roads, social services and other important investments.

We should challenge our state leaders to prioritize long-term investments, by asking those who have benefited the most from soaring incomes to pay their fair share toward a better future. Otherwise we’re looking at more of the same bad choices: increased class sizes, more college tuition increases, and additional park closures, to name just a few. That approach only digs a deeper long-term hole for us all, as hope and economic opportunity are lost for a generation or more of our citizens.

Put another way: we can either insist that our leaders repair and rebuild the ladder of opportunity that defines the American Dream, or we can let them pull the ladder up. If we want our children and grandchildren to have opportunities like — or even better than — we had, then we have to fund our public structures and services now. As the budget debate heats up, that’s the real bottom line for our legislators, our residents, our state and our future.