COMMENTARY

Republican Tsunami Brings Enormous Responsibilities

December 2002

By Donald J. Pfundstein*
for New Hampshire Business Review

"Tsunami" is a Japanese word for "harbor wave." Experts at the University of Washington note that a tsunami is not a "tidal wave" because it is not related to the tides. If you voted in November's general election, you too now know that a tsunami is not tide-dependent.

"Tidal wave" may be a misnomer, but the picture is nevertheless useful. What else would you call the near-total Republican victory on election night? The governor's office, Congress, the U.S. Senate and all five Executive Council seats went Republican. Eighteen of 24 state Senate seats went to the GOP. Our House of Representatives now consists of 281 Republican members, a pretty substantial majority, even by New Hampshire standards. It wasn't a "tidal wave" though, just a tsunami — a distinction without merit for the candidates who drowned in its wake.

A mere 13 hours after the polls closed, Craig Benson started meeting with his core transition team (I was and remain honored to be a member). He accepted the enormous responsibility occasioned by his landslide victory with more energy than the morning sun. We have had a difficult time maintaining his pace. Craig (the "greeting" he prefers to "Governor" or "Governor-elect") not only recognizes the responsibility of governing with the majority party — he's been leading by example and already doing something about it.

The FY '03 state budget deficit is likely to be in the $90 million range by June 30, 2003. The structural and ensuing deficits for FY '04 and FY '05 are projected to be in excess of $275 million. Something substantial must be done. It is not going to be an income tax. The voters soundly rejected the "big government income tax." Even the Democratic faithful are now saying they must give up this losing fight — get on with it, so they say.

Our new governor will not be sworn into office until Jan. 9, yet he has already repeatedly told state agency heads and other officials that New Hampshire must live within its means. That means we will spend only what we have — just like families and businesses do across New Hampshire. Craig has requested state agencies to identify their five least effective programs. These programs may be eliminated or improved if warranted and feasible. Perhaps we will someday spend a little less than what we have and use the excess savings for targeted education aid.

School districts need certainty from a planning and budgeting perspective. The current education plan actually results in certain communities losing aid due to a funding formula everyone concedes is badly broken. Objecting to Craig's plan without adequate study is irresponsible and simply wrong. There are school districts that are losers under the current, unchecked formula. Even Doug Hall, co-executive director of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies — and far from a lockstep, conservative Republican, recently noted that stabilizing the aid may make sense.

Craig's plan on education funding provides districts with the necessary tools — state education grants in FY '04 are guaranteed to be at FY '03 levels — approximately $443 million. This is true even for those districts that would lose funding under the current broken system. If aid is stabilized and reform work begins in earnest under true leadership, and additional funds become available, this stabilized level of funding may be increased. As a new distribution formula is developed, aid will be targeted to communities who need it the most. The aid will adjust over time, not bankrupt the state as threatened under the current funding fiasco.

Members of the House and Senate and their respective leadership share the burden of this newly imposed responsibility. Their forthcoming help, hard work and guidance are critical to solving the state's budget and education funding crises. As leaders of the majority charged by the public with making government live within its means, we expect nothing less and undoubtedly will receive much more.

The responsibility is not simply Republican. The Democrats have an enormous responsibility as well — they must rediscover their way on the national and local stage. The loyal opposition must first abandon the often heard lament election evening, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they have done." On the contrary, the voters know exactly what they have done, and as its party leadership has recently noted, it's time to move on.

While I urge my fellow Republicans to govern responsibly, lead by example and do what truly is in the interest of the people who elected them, I urge my Democratic friends to acknowledge the wisdom of the voters, learn from their selection and help us make New Hampshire an even greater place to live, raise a family and earn a living. The tsunami has truly imposed enormous responsibilities on us all.

*Donald J. Pfundstein is admitted in New Hampshire.

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