Money better spent

A state’s budget reflects its values. However, the phrase “our kids are our future,” popular with politicians, rings hollow in Arkansas. The Arkansas Tax Reform and Relief Legislative Task Force is hell-bent on cutting taxes that were approved by a supermajority of legislators to help Arkansas families.

The plan is to cut these resources by a simple majority vote. This comes at a time when the economic wellbeing of children and families is worsening, and corporations are using their new tax breaks to buy back stocks to benefit stockholders instead of raising worker wages.

Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest Kids Count report ranks Arkansas 47th of all states in economic security. This is an astounding fall from 36th place last year. According to the report, more Arkansas kids live in poverty, their parents lack steady work, and fewer teens go to school or work. At the same time, our high-quality pre-K programs aren’t fully funded, teachers and child-care workers are underpaid, and our juvenile justice system keeps locking up nonviolent youth because we can’t afford proveneffective, community-based programs for them.

Whenever child advocates ask legislators for money to implement smart polices that help disadvantaged kids succeed, like the earned income tax credit, after-school programs, or pre-K programs, legislators say, “Where will we get the money?”

We should use the money the state already has, thanks to the wisdom of legislators of the past. Yes, a tax break puts a few dollars in your pocket, but it won’t really ensure your family’s financial stability. But those same dollars multiplied across the population amount to a large sum. This money can then be better spent for great schools, safe communities, and a better-educated work force—the foundation of economic security for all Arkansans. These funds will be at risk in the 2019 legislative session. PAUL D. KELLY Mabelvale