State should put surplus in rainy day fund, not return it

To the Editor:

Looking to curry favor with the voters in the next election, Republican legislators are proposing returning some of the state's "surplus" to its citizens. This mirrors a similar effort a decade ago. Remember the pittance you received then and how quickly it was spent? Think of how much money was wasted on clerical costs for preparing and mailing all those miniscule checks.

Immediately after this give-back, the state started to experience a deficit and services - especially education - were short changed. If the Republicans had kept the money, they could have increased funding for education gradually over they decade they were in power, and we would not have faced a lawsuit nor would we be wondering where funding is coming from in the future.

If we indeed have a surplus, it makes so much more sense to establish a rainy day fund which could be used when the economy does not perform well. States that have this type of account did considerably better than those without during the economic downturn of the last few years.

The Republican plan of creating shortages that have to be made up later is senseless and short-sighted.

Eileen J. Carney