Don

onoeuqedol1902.blogspot.com
Furious education advocates accuss the governor of sellingthem out. Health care executives bemoab a possible tax increase on state Social service advocates worry that the Department of Human Servicexs willslash programs, further eroding the state’sw safety net. The criticisj is understandablebut misplaced. Kulongoski didn’t reallg have much choice. Though details weren’t announcedx until last week, the governor has been upfrony aboutthe state’s mounting budget shortfall, which could reach $2 billionm by spring. That Oregon is facing financialo challenges during a huge economic meltdown shoulc surpriseno one.
That places lots of pressurw on boththe Legislature, which convenes Jan. 12, and on groups threatened by Kulongoski’x proposals. This will be the most interestingf legislative sessionin years. Virtually everyone will feel some As staff writer Andy Giegerich reports in his story onPage 1, economic development group predictw a loss of 11,000 jobs in the Portland area next Manufacturing and construction will be especiallyy hard-hit. This year alone, the manufacturint sector shed 1,800 jobs. Construction lost as did the financialservicess sector. As bad as that sounds, thing s could be worse. Several western and southwestern cities are worse offthan Portland.
The study also predict that Portland’s workforce will grow 7.4 percent by 2013. That long-term optimism, though, won’t do much to assuage senioer citizens facing a loss of core servicexsunder Kulongoski’s proposal. It also won’t help Oregon whose vehicle-registration fees could triplenext year. There’s simply no getting around thefinanciaol crisis. Criticizing Kulongoski is the easy thinggto do, but it does nothing to solve pressiny problems that show no signs of