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But Minnesota appears to be leading the race to see if it can completely bring the judiciary to a freeze. Living in the state with the reputation for shoddy courts is not something we should aspire to; but that’s exactly what we’ve earned by systematically starving our state budget.
Really, pledges to hold the line on taxes or to shrink budgets are artificial and little more than political popularity contests.
It’s easy to slash court budgets in the name of saving a few pennies, but how much harder do those cuts become when a rape victim or someone who is seeking an order for protection cannot get justice because the same system that’s charged with protecting their rights has a “closed for business” sign hanging from the courthouse door?
The average private sector employee wouldn’t tolerate — couldn’t tolerate — the same pay year after year. Even those who haven’t studied economics know the cost of everything rises yearly. Yet political doublespeak in the realm of the courts has meant “holding the line” magically becomes “do more with less.”
We’d like to suggest if politicians make promises of no new taxes, then they should also pledge no new tax cuts.
All this means we have a lot less to spend on more people and goods and services that are constantly on the rise.
Last week, the reality of the abysmal state budget began to set in: Court employees were given termination notices. The public defenders office announced that with caseloads skyrocketing it may just process cases until the money runs out. And when that happens, the already overburdened court system, the one that seems to become more backlogged with each day grinds to a miserable, agonizing halt.
What that means for the average person is relatively little. Most citizens live daily without witnessing the heavy court calendars. What they don’t see is that during that flurry of daily activity, criminals are being taken off the street, ensuring greater public safety. What they don’t see is that disputes between neighbors are solved before they escalate. What they might not witness is the courts coming to the rescue of children or those who cannot defend themselves, seeking justice and ensuring their rights are protected as well.
And now, all of that lies in the balance because we’re too cheap to pay for the justice system we deserve. Instead, we’ll get the justice system we pay for, and unless something is done quickly, that justice system that we’re preparing for is one that’s even slower, more anemic and less careful than the one we have now.
A message to the Legislature and the governor: Rethink the budget. Rethink what’s happening to the courts. No one likes to pay more taxes. No one likes to be victimized, either. But what’s a few pennies more when your safety and your neighbor’s could be on the line?
For most people, the change will hardly be noticeable because the most they’ve ever encountered it is when they’ve been a little too lead-footed and have to pay a speeding ticket. But when the average person is assaulted or has a dispute with their neighbor, they can hire an attorney, hop in the car, rush up to the entrance of the stately courthouse only to find the doors locked and a sign in the window that reads, “We’re closed … stop again some other time.”
By Darrell Ehrlick, editor, on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board, which also includes publisher Rusty Cunningham and online editor Jerome Christenson. To comment, call (507) 453-3507 or send e-mail to letters@winonadailynews.com.
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