Taipei County wins the Lottery but can't collect the Prize

Taipei County wins the Lottery but can't collect the Prize
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 14, 2007

Taipei County's elevation to the status of Directly Administered Municipality means it has gained admission to an exclusive club consisting of the two wealthy metropolises, Taipei City and Kaohsiung City. At least that's what some people imagined. Who knew the central government had no follow up plans whatsoever? Instead it turned to Taipei City and Kaohsiung City, demanding that they cough up funds already allocated to them and share them with Taipei County. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu expressed her displeasure by threatening to boycott Frank Hsieh's election campaign.

Chen Chu's anger is understandable. Counties and municipalities hope to have their legal status elevated because they wish to improve their economic prospects. They want comprehensive plans and concrete support, not reckless haste. They don't need pandering to voters without regard for the consequences. If the promotion of Taipei County requires the demotion of Taipei City and Kaohsiung City, what is that except "redistributing the poverty?"

Taipei County's promotion means it qualifies for 30 billion in central government funding. But most of that funding has already been canceled. Meanwhile, it has now become liable for central government expenditures such as health insurance and low income welfare subsidies. The result is it won't be enjoying any benefits whatsoever. This is like winning the lottery, uncorking the champagne, only to find out one won't be receiving any prize money, but must pay taxes on one's "winnings." Taipei City and Kaohsiung City are even worse off. Others win the lottery, but instead of getting to share the wealth, they get to share the poverty. They must endure a loss of tens of billions from their original budgets. What logic is there in this kind of policy making?

Taipei City, Taipei County, and Kaohsiung City are all opposed to the Executive Yuan's "equal division of spoils." The Executive Yuan's shell game has exposed the Chen regime's attitude for what it is -- superficially respectful but actually contemptuous. For years the Democratic Progressive Party harped on the necessity of promoting Taipei County to a Directly Administered Municipality. Every time an election rolled around, major or minor, this battle cry was heard. During his term as Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang repeatedly accused the Kuomintang of "obstructing" Taipei County's elevation in status. Chen Shui-bian repeatedly stressed that what Taipei County wanted was not to be merged into Taipei City, but to be independently promoted. Only three months ago, when the Legislative Yuan passed its Land Administration Act confirming Taipei County's promotion, the Chen regime attempted to claim credit. But now that it is unable to come up with funding, the central government is using the fact that Taipei County's elevation in status was "not an Executive Yuan inititative" as an excuse to do nothing. What is one to conclude from all this, except that the Democratic Progressive Party's sanctimonious demands were nothing but empty posturing?

Never last when taking credit. Always first when disowning responsibility. The public has long since seen through the Democratic Progressive Party's disingenuous sophistry. Democratic Progressive Party elders have long accused the Kuomintang of "favoring the north at the expense of the south." But once it was in power, they cited this as an excuse to persecute "mainlander" dominated Taipei City, to cut its funding, to humiliate these inhabitants of the nation's capital. But leave this aside for the moment. Chen Shui-bian has been in power for seven years. In all those years, what has he done to redress the imbalance between north and south? How does taking 10 billion from Kaohsiung's budget redress the imbalance between north and south?

The Chen regime's populist demagoguery may provoke a short term north vs. south confrontation. But it cannot promote southern Taiwan's long term prosperity. The ruling regime's talk of a "satellite capital" and of "sharing the national treasures" have encouraged people to migrate to the nation's capital. Taipei County now has over 3.6 million people. The central government has no choice but to promote it. But as we now see, it was all for show. Now Taoyuan County, with a population approaching 2 million, also wants in. When the time comes, can funds divided four ways really provide for Taipei City, Taipei County, Kaohsiung City, and Taoyuan County?

One could argue that the Democratic Progressive Party "expedited" Taipei County's elevation in status. The facts suggest otherwise, and expose the ruling DPP's hypocritical posturing for what it is. They show how opportunistic the DPP party hierarchy is when their members jockey with each other for short term political advantage. DPP policy makers no longer have any patience for long-term planning. Instead they behave as if they were street entertainers out for a quick buck plying their trade to passersby. This kind of "political achievement" is ubiquitous. Recently completed cultural centers have become disused "Halls for Mosquitos." Newly completed airports offer only one flight a day. Ordinary people have become marks at the mercy of con artists. What they envisioned was a wad of cash. What they got was disposable drink containers packaged to resemble a wad of cash.

Take the long debated subject of casinos for example. In a surprise move, Pingtung and Chiayi announced their intention to legalize gambling. Penghu reacted violently. If the ruling regime intended to grant gambling licenses to Pingtung and Chiayi on the main island, how did it expect casinos on the outer islands of Penghu to survive? The elevation of Taipei County's legal status and the establishment of casinos on Penghu are the same. They are both cases of having the name but not the game.

When Taipei County was elevated to the status of Directly Administered Municipality, county residents thought they had just caught the brass ring. The brass ring would turn out to be brass plate over base metal. This is the sort of metal the Democratic Progressive Party is made of. Why should Taipei and Kaohsiung be required to make good on the ruling DPP's rubber check? Chen Chu has asked the central government an embarrassing question. Now everybody is waiting to hear Chen Shui-bian, Su Tseng-chang, and Frank Hsieh's answers.

北縣升格：中頭彩卻領不到獎金
【聯合報╱社論】
2007.08.14 03:41 am

台北縣升格為準直轄市，以為就此可以鯉躍龍門，和北高兩市同登「富都」俱樂部；沒想到，中央根本沒有任何配套的規劃，竟要求北高吐出既有的統籌分配款，和北縣瓜分。陳菊為此大表不悅，揚言將拒絕接受謝長廷的大選輔選工作，作為抵制。

陳菊的憤怒，不是全無道理。縣市渴望升格，自是為追求更美好的前景；但這需要中央全盤的擘劃與客觀條件的支撐，而非盲動躁進，乃至為討好選民而瞻前不顧後。如果北縣升格，卻要北高二市降格，那豈不成了買空賣空的「均貧」主義？

對台北縣來說，升格雖可領取三百億統籌分配款，但一般補助款卻將被取消，還得另行承擔中央移轉的勞健保及低收入補助等法定支出，實際上什麼好處也沒撈到。這就好像中了頭彩，鞭炮也放了，卻領不到獎金，還先被扣了稅款。北高兩市更慘，別人中了樂透，他們無緣分享卻遭牽連受懲，平白要少掉幾百億原有預算。這種政策，道理何在？

當北高三縣市有志一同反對行政院的「均分」作法時，也恰恰反襯了扁政府「前恭後倨」的矇騙作風。多年來，民進黨不斷推動北縣升格直轄市，歷屆大小選舉無不以此為號召；蘇貞昌在縣長任內曾一再指責國民黨「阻擋」北縣升格，陳水扁更多次強調台北縣爭取的不是「縣市合併」，而是要「單獨升格」。事實上，三個月前，立院通過地制法確定北縣升格時，扁政府還大肆自吹自擂；如今輪到統籌款喬不攏，中央竟馬上推說這次升格「不是行政院主導」。言下之意，難道民進黨要北縣升格是玩假的？

居功永遠不落人後，卸責總是搶在第一；民進黨的矯飾詭辯，已經讓人民看破手腳。更矛盾的是，民進黨長年指責國民黨「重北輕南」，它執政後也不斷以此為由打壓台北市，削減其經費，羞辱首都市民。但除了這些無關痛癢的表面文章外，陳水扁執政七年多，對平衡南北又做了什麼？試問，再抽掉高雄市百億預算，於南北平衡何益？

完全沒有！扁政府的民粹手法固能一時間煽動南北對峙，卻無助於為南台灣開創有持久效益的榮景；再加上打造「副都心」的炒作，以及都心國寶地的釋出等，都形同在變相召喚人民往台灣頭移動。台北縣擠進三百六十萬多人口，逼著中央不得不讓它升格，但結果顯示，竟不過是徒獲虛名，毫無實益。而接下來，還有人口逼近兩百萬的桃園也在等著變成直轄市，屆時，四等分的統籌分配款能餵飽北北高桃四個「直轄市」嗎？

如果說民進黨最早「催生」了台北縣的升格，眼前的事實卻是它完全沒有能力「接生」這個寶貝。這除了暴露執政黨的虛矯身段外，更致命的是，在短視近利的政黨競爭下，政策已經失去了長期規劃的耐心和穩健，而流於街頭賣藝式的取巧及浮誇。這類「政績」，觸目皆是。如文化中心成了蚊子館，亦如有些機場每天只飛一個班機。老百姓就像碰到金光黨，原以為能得到一疊疊鈔票，打開後發現竟然只是偽裝成鈔票的利樂包飲料。

以討論多年的賭場開放議題為例，最近竟傳出除了離島澎湖，連屏東、嘉義也將開放特許，惹得澎湖大力反彈。主政者是在趁機給屏東、嘉義一些口惠，但本島若有了賭場，離島澎湖的賭場還活得下去嗎？北縣升格，與澎湖賭場，有名無實，豈不是異曲同工？

台北縣贏得準直轄市的榮銜，沒想到只拿到一頂鍍金桂冠；這頂露餡的桂冠，完全反映了民進黨執政的「成色」不足。政府的空頭支票，憑什麼要北高兩市幫它刷卡埋單？陳菊提出這個沉痛的問題，大家都在等著看扁蘇謝三人要怎麼答。