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The Press Release | See myths below the press release!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEBRASKA STOP OVERSPENDING COALITION URGES VOTERS: "SEE THROUGH THE SILLINESS"
Group debunks scare stories on www.sosnebraska.com
Omaha--Today, the Nebraska Stop OverSpending Committee launched a new feature on their website: See Through the Silliness, which debunks the various myths about SOS spread by special interest groups across the state.
"We've been getting a tremendous response from Nebraskans on SOS," said Dave Nabity, spokesman for the SOS initiative, "and it's no surprise. State spending has grown by 228% over the past 20 years. That's astronomical. Nebraskans want reasonable spending growth each year, and they want a say in how their tax dollars are spent."
Special interest groups like Nebraskans for the Good Life, who are opposed to the Stop OverSpending initiative, have launched an aggressive campaign against the measure, claiming that it will drastically cut funding for vital programs.
"Their message is both deceptive and flat-out wrong," Nabity said. "SOS allows
government to grow each year. And if politicians want to spend more, they can, as long as they ask the voters first."
"It's also no surprise that these groups want to stop SOS," said Mike Groene, another SOS spokesman. "They call themselves Nebraskans for the Good Life, but they forgot to add 'at taxpayer expense.' They're trying to distract voters, because they know they can't argue against the facts."
Here are some of the myths debunked at See Through the Silliness:
MYTH: Colorado's state spending limit, TABOR, failed.
FACT: In Colorado, TABOR is still alive, well, and still giving voters a say in state spending decisions. Last November, in fact, because of TABOR, voters--not politicians--had the final say about whether or not to raise state spending. Colorado Governor Bill Owens has defended TABOR across the country, and points out that TABOR is one of the "primary reasons Colorado weathered the recession better than many other states."
MYTH: The Center for People in Need predicts SOS would drastically cut education spending.
FACT: Spending would grow at a reasonable rate under SOS, and nothing would get cut from year to year. If politicians want to spend more than the state limit, they can, as long as they ask the voters first. "Only a group that believes in massive spending increases could call spending growth a 'cut,'" added Nabity.
MYTH: SOS is being forced on Nebraska by out-of-state special interest groups.
FACT: Only Nebraskans can sign the SOS petition; and only Nebraskans will have a say on SOS in November. "While we appreciate the help we've gotten from both national and local groups, this effort is all about giving Nebraskans a voice this fall," said Groene. "There's nothing out of state about that."
"I urge all Nebraska voters to be on the lookout for SOS petitioners and to sign that petition," Nabity said. "SOS will make responsible state spending a reality, and put the people back in charge in Nebraska."
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MORE MYTHS - DEBUNKED!
MYTH: SOS would hurt health care and other state services by forcing cuts year after year to stay within spending limits.
FACT: Special interests like to paint spending caps like SOS as government starvation programs, with drastic cuts aimed at basic, necessary services. This is both deceptive and flat-out wrong.
Here's the truth: SOS allows the government to grow. If politicians want to spend more than the SOS limit, they can, but they have to ask the voters first.
The SOS principle is simple: government spending cannot grow at unlimited rates, no matter how much politicians and special interests would like it to. With SOS, spending doesn't ratchet back during hard times, and its budget stabilization fund is available for recessions.
It won't hurt programs. It will just stop politicians from spending every penny they can get their hands on.
MYTH: Education suffers under SOS.
FACT: SOS infuriates special interests...especially those who benefit from an ever-growing government each year.
Year after year, certain lobbies will tell you that there's just not enough money for education, even though state education spending surges each year. There's something wrong with this picture, and it's not a lack of funds.
The real question is this: Where is your money going? You might be surprised. The problem is not a lack of money. The problem is the wasteful habits of politicians.
MYTH: If we need to increase spending on education or health care...we can't.
FACT: SOS allows for any increases that may be needed in the state budget. If politicians decide that they need more money, all they have to do is ask the people to approve an increase in spending.
If the voters agree, then the spending limit goes up temporarily. If not, it keeps growing at a steady but reasonable pace in keeping with the growth of inflation and population.
The beauty of SOS is that it puts the people in charge of how far the government can reach into their pockets. The people can say yes, or they can say no. Then it is up to the politicians and government agencies to find innovative ways to spend the people's money wisely.
And don't forget, the legislature is fully empowered, without voter approval, to increase funding in certain areas by reducing spending in other areas--a process otherwise known as "budgeting."
MYTH: SOS tie the government's hands in an emergency, which would lead to a disastrous situation.
FACT: SOS's spending limit formula will not ratchet backwards during a recession, and during recessions, shortfalls in revenue are offset from budget stabilization funds.
In fact, SOS allows the government to do a much better job of preparing for tough times ahead. Without it, politicians have the ability to spend every penny that comes in the door. With SOS, they are forced to save, budget, and prepare in case there are tough times ahead.
MYTH: SOS is exactly like Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
FACT: SOS, like the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (sometimes referred to as TABOR), puts the people in charge of state spending decisions. SOS, however, is an improvement upon TABOR and is a much more flexible measure. SOS is also carefully customized to meet our needs.
SOS's spending limit formula, for instance, will not ratchet backwards during a recession. During recessions, shortfalls in revenue are offset from budget stabilization funds.
With SOS, excess revenue isn't spent on pork projects and special interests. It's returned to the people who earned it in the first place--the taxpayers.
MYTH: Colorado voters tossed the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in the November 2005 vote.
FACT: On November 1, 2005, Colorado voters went to the polls to decide whether they would grant the state a larger allowance for the next five years.
The November vote demonstrated that Colorado's TABOR works--and works well. Colorado Governor Bill Owens explains the vote here (PDF).
Because of TABOR, Coloradans had a say in the way their tax dollars were spent. Without TABOR, voters would have been shut out of the budgeting process--and politicians would have spent just as much as they pleased.
Because of TABOR, voters and taxpayers in Colorado have greater control over state spending--and, as a result, they also have the ability to put a tighter leash on government waste.
TABOR worked exactly as planned, and SOS is even better.
MYTH: TABOR was a disaster for Colorado.
FACT: In the decade after TABOR was enacted, Colorado's job growth surged at almost double the rate of the previous ten years. Here are some other facts:
- Since it passed TABOR, Colorado's economy was consistently ranked #1 in the nation by the American Enterprise Institute.
- Prior to TABOR, government jobs were growing at a rate of 21% and private sector jobs were growing at 17%. After TABOR, government jobs grew at the same rate (by 20%) and the rate of private sector job growth almost doubled (by an astounding 37%).
Opponents and special interests argued that TABOR would put government on a "starvation diet." In the TABOR years of 1993-2002, however, Colorado actually increased state spending by 64 percent--a rate that's hardly "starvation." In the last year alone, Colorado's state spending increased by 7 percent.
Here are some more facts on Colorado and TABOR:
- In the decade after TABOR was enacted, Colorado's job growth surged at almost double the rate of the previous ten years.
After it passed TABOR, Colorado's economy was consistently ranked first in the nation by the American Enterprise Institute.
- In 1992, Colorado ranked 15th highest in GSP per capita. By 2003, despite the difficult recession, Colorado improved its ranking to 10th highest in the nation.
- On a percentage basis, Colorado experienced the second fastest growth rate in GSP per capita in the country at 4.9% per year. Only Delaware grew faster.
- Colorado's growth in GSP per capita was $3349 higher than the national average over the period. This means that, on average, in the period since TABOR's passage, Colorado residents earned over $3000 more than our counterparts in other states.
- Without TABOR, Colorado's budget deficit would have been six times larger in 2002.
- From 1997 to 2001, TABOR generated over $3.2 billion in rebates for Colorado's taxpayers. That's $3200 in tax rebates for the average family of four.
- Before TABOR, government jobs were growing at a rate of 21% and private sector jobs were growing at 17%. After TABOR, government jobs grew at the same rate (by 20%) and the rate of private sector job growth almost doubled (by an astounding 37%).
- In the 8 years before TABOR, Colorado ranked 43rd among states in median family income growth, and in 2005 it ranked 7th. Colorado was 33rd in job growth before TABOR, but 6th since TABOR's passage. Colorado was 43rd in economic growth per capita before TABOR, but in 2005 it ranked 7th.
MYTH: SOS is a radical measure.
FACT: SOS's opponents and special interest groups like to paint SOS as a radical idea. But when you stop to think about it, SOS is just plain old common sense.
The SOS standard is simple: the government must abide by the same rules that work in the real world.
Families, individuals, and businesses all have to budget to be successful. Why can't our government do the same? Often, it's because politicians have the luxury of wasting other people's money. SOS fixes this problem, bringing accountability and logic to the state budget.
Without SOS, spending tends to skyrocket over the rates of population growth and inflation. With SOS, sanity is brought back into government spending.
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