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Education rescue plan irks Goldschmidt Tells Medford group he opposes taking funds from workers comp By BOB HUNTER Neil Goldschmidt says he generally limits his speeches to topics that make him angry or happy. One of his topics Monday was the Oregon Legislature. And he wasn�t happy. Speaking to the monthly Forum of The Chamber of Medford/Jackson County in Medford, the former Oregon governor lashed out at the Legislature�s level of funding for higher education and community colleges and at a legislative proposal to prop up the state budget with excess funds from a workers compensation insurance program. Faced with a sluggish economy, state legislators and the governor seem prepared to offer an education budget that will require universities and community colleges to reduce services and raise tuition next year. That, Goldschmidt says, does a disservice to the state and to students. "Something is wrong with the premise that it is enough to have the doors open," he said, comparing education funding to that of prisons, where "the system keeps growing by compounding numbers because we keep voting to put people in there." Instead, he said, perhaps Oregonians should vote to put people in colleges by establishing a public fund to defray the cost of higher education. "If that isn�t done," Goldschmidt said, "we will continue to see a pounding taken by the people who can afford to go (to college) and a disabling effect for those who can�t afford to do it." Goldschmidt said a legislative proposal to create a rainy day fund from the workers compensation account sets the stage for another disabling effect, this one on business and workers. Goldschmidt, a Democrat with strong business backing, was elected governor in 1986. He did not seek re-election, but in his final year helped broker a deal between business and labor leaders to reconstruct a workers compensation insurance program that was best known then for its expense and its poor service. Building on the so-called Mahonia Hall agreement � named after the governor�s mansion where the meetings were held � the state turned around the SAIF Corp. insurance program. Its cost dropped from the sixth highest in the nation to a current ranking of 34th and its service improvements were lauded by labor and industry alike. But, Goldschmidt said, House Bill 3797, now in committee, could undo that progress. The bill would create a rainy day fund from "excess income" from SAIF Corp., the state-owned workers compensation insurance fund. Goldschmidt argued that any excess funds should continue to be refunded to policy-holders, a practice that has helped dramatically lower the cost of the insurance. He called the SAIF turnaround "one of the great government success stories." But, he said, it could easily be undone by the Legislature. "All we have to do is persuade people to have short-term memories and steal the money again," he said. Reach Mail Tribune editor Bob Hunter at 776-4460, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.