Editorial: The Topeka Capital-Journal
The demands of crafting a government budget – at the federal, state or local level – often requires some creative thinking and deft management. But still, the public generally expects government revenue generated for a specific purpose to be spent for that purpose.
In Kansas, that isn’t always the way it works with our state government, although it should be.
For instance, tax revenue generated for major infrastructure programs has frequently been siphoned off to fund other government needs. That state officials say all the planned projects have been completed or will be completed despite the withdrawals is irrelevant. The taxpayers were told the money was for infrastructure needs.
The Problem Gambling and Addictions Grant Fund is another pot of money that has been hit for general government services recently, although not to the extent the special highway funds have been tapped.
A legislative budget committee is recommending the state reduce its taking from the addictions fund when it drafts the next state budget. That would be sound policy and a step most people should be able to support.
The Problem Gambling and Addictions Grant Fund is financed through a 2 percent surcharge on legal gambling revenue and is to be used to help people with gambling, alcohol and other addiction problems.
Some of the money has been used to help people with addictions, but much more has been diverted to other purposes. The current budget allocated $740,000 of the addictions funding for its intended purpose but allocated $6.5 million of the funds for other services.
A House-Senate budget committee has recommended the next state budget allocate $4.2 million of the special funds to fighting addictions.
If that recommendation is accepted, some of the addictions funds still would be spent elsewhere, but a jump from $740,000 to $4.2 million is a good first step.
Frankly, we don’t know just how many problem gamblers are among us, but we’ve all read or heard stories about people embezzling from their employers or spending the entire household budget to support a gambling addiction. And we do know there is no shortage of alcoholics and people addicted to legal and illegal drugs in our midst.
Problem gambling, drinking and drug use can result in a great deal of physical and mental harm for the individual addict, to say nothing of the accompanying financial problems. Such behavior and all its trappings also wrecks marriages and destroys families.
The state is raising a lot of money, through gambling, to help people fight addictions. We should be able to find sufficient worthwhile programs to support with that funding.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
