Letter to the Editor: State budget crisis started with 1993 tax increase

To the Honorable Mike Schilling (Re: Opinions differ on cause of Missouri's monetary woes, April 14, 2003).

Evidently you forgot about the 1993 Carnahan tax increase, the largest in Missouri history. The money it generated forced some tax cuts and the state still had to return part of it to the people that provide all of the state revenue. As predicted, the chickens have come home to roost.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why any thinking person is surprised about the deteriorating financial condition of Missouri. The budget almost doubled during the eight years of Carnahan. Our problems started in 1993.

Mel Hancock

Springfield