Editorials

Gov. Bob Riley is a concerned and compassionate man, something he's demonstrated during his time in Montgomery.

In recent years, when times were good and revenue was coming in, his budgets consistently increased funding for programs that many of his conservative colleagues consider personal rather than public responsibilities. Unfortunately, when the economy slows and tax-collections slow with it, the governor's conservative side begins to show.

This is one of those times.

Last week, Riley released his proposed budget for the coming year, and in it were significant cuts to the Children's Health Insurance Program, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, and the Alabama Home and Community-Based Waiver program.

As a result:

• Many poor children will go without health insurance.

• Low-income AIDS patients will go without antiretroviral drugs.

• Poor women will not get the mammograms and Pap smears that will detect cancer and prevent suffering, and will end up costing the taxpayer even more.

• Many of Alabama's elderly will be forced to leave home for a nursing facility.

It would seem that the governor wants to balance the budget on the backs of children, the sick, poor women and the elderly, the most vulnerable of our residents.

Grant that the governor's task is not easy. Hard choices had to be made. And the way Alabama funds its critical services did not make the choices any easier.

With revenue divided between two budgets (Alabama is the only state to do this) and with so much of the money earmarked by and for special interests, it is no easy matter to shift funds from categories that could more easily withstand the cuts and better fund public health initiatives such as these.

The fix is a commitment to tax reform, as well as to compassion and concern.

Perhaps putting the whole matter into the hands of the Legislature, where it is now, is the right thing for the governor to do.

However, as this page has pointed out before and unfortunately will likely point out again, in situations such as this the governor, the legislators and Alabamians become their own worst enemies. Politicians and people created this taxing and budgeting mess, and so far politicians and people show no inclination to change it.

Unfortunately, and ironically, here it is less than a week after most Alabamians celebrated their risen Lord, and we are preparing to hurt the very people He told us to help.