Bingham deserves another term

REP. KENNY BINGHAM helped lay the groundwork for this year’s overdue debate of a comprehensive approach to taxes and education funding — eliminating school property taxes, having the state take over school funding and distributing school funds based on student needs.

But he concluded that he had to cut property taxes if he wanted to stay in office, and in favor with House leaders, which he considers crucial to getting the real reform he wants. So he became a top defender of an irresponsible tax plan that was anything but comprehensive and that would have locked in the current school funding inequities.

Compromise is essential to the legislative process. But the tax debate — along with the voucher debate that earned him an endorsement from a group trying to divert tax money to private schools — brought Mr. Bingham right up to the line between compromise and selling out, on the state’s most crucial issues.

Against a more impressive opponent, we would be tempted to say he had gone too far. But Artie White, a well-meaning young man who is barely out of college, is comfortable talking about only a couple of issues (eliminating property taxes and limiting government’s ability to condemn property), and he has little to say about them beyond trite anti-government slogans. When we asked what he would do to improve public education, he said the schools do a pretty good job, offered vouchers as a possibility and then, when asked if he had other suggestions, repeated that schools do a pretty good job.

Mr. Bingham understands the issues and has the big-picture perspective our state needs. We hope he will be more willing to stand up for that perspective in the future. There’s no point in building up clout if you don’t use it to accomplish something worthwhile.

Go to http://www.thestate.com/ and click on “Opinion” to read previous endorsements and election commentary.