Times of recession bring countless and untold consequences for society and for individuals. The pace of economic trends, such as the decline of certain industries, accelerates, and individuals suffer economic setbacks such as lost wealth and wages from which many will never recover.
A less-obvious consequence of the current recession is the erosion of our commitment to the common good. The great constraints on public resources from declining revenues and skyrocketing costs gives way to various efforts to privatize what historically have been publicly funded and publicly provided efforts in society. Two and a half years into this recession, there is mounting evidence that this is happening in North Carolina.
It's happening to our infrastructure. Because of funding constraints and concerns about the growing state debt, Governor Perdue announced her plans this year to allow a road-building firm to finance part of the construction of the I-485 loop around Charlotte, a first for North Carolina. Plans are also moving ahead to open North Carolina's first toll road, the Western Wake Expressway, signaling a shift away from paying for our roads collectively, regardless of who drives on them.
It's also happening to our public services, particularly in the education system. As a result of the recession, public community colleges and universities have and will probably continue to increase tuition to generate critical additional funding, shifting a greater portion of the costs of obtaining an education to students and away from society at large.
With community colleges and universities busting at the seams and facing deeper budget cuts, a growing number of folks seeking higher-education opportunities are turning to for-profit and frequently on-line colleges and universities, many of which have suspicious track records.
Finally, the governor and the General Assembly will likely act this year to increase the number of charter schools that can operate in our state. While these schools are largely publicly-funded, they are privately operated and they have the effect of siphoning off students from traditional public schools despite mounting evidence that this strategy does not lead to improved student outcomes.
Still, there are some glimmers of hope for a commitment to common good solutions. Some towns in North Carolina are taking steps to publicly finance and provide broadband internet access to their residents. Broadband access is, in effect, the new infrastructure of the 21st century, and like traditional infrastructure, citizens and communities should have the right to band together to finance and provide this infrastructure for everyone. In addition, the state is rethinking its plans to privatize virtually all mental health care in the state and is, instead, reinvesting in public institutions that coordinate and, in some cases, provide these services.
When viewed separately, the proposals being considered that would take North Carolina further down the road of privatization may seem minor and relatively harmless, but collectively and cumulatively over time, they represent a fundamental shift in the way we chose to govern ourselves.
While we are all understandably busy managing the impact that the recession is having on our own lives, we cannot neglect the need to look at the broader implications of allowing the recession to erode our togetherness. We may be busy, but we must be intentional. We must ask ourselves if these changes and many more like them are really in our best interest, or if we would be better off recognizing, like generations before us, the individual and collective benefits of sticking together.
Elaine Mejia is the Director of the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center.
