“Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.” – Frederic Bastiat
In last week’s column Lu Bauer stated many mistruths about the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) and the State of Colorado where TABOR has it origins. I, for one, do my homework, and here’s the real truth about TABOR and why we must shine the light and shine it brightly.
In her column of last week Lu stated that Colorado had terminated their version of TABOR because of the grievous harm it had done to the state. Nothing could be further from the truth as TABOR is still part of the Colorado State Constitution. The voters of Colorado agreed to make their version of TABOR closer to that which is proposed for Maine. Their version did not have a clause in order that citizens could increase spending above the caps if necessary.
So what happened in Colorado and why do the opponents of TABOR flat out lie about its effects on Colorado’s economy? Colorado had a significant downturn in its economy unrelated to TABOR. The effects of Sept. 11 and a problematic drought coupled with forest fires added to the downturn resulting in sagging revenues. Colorado’s TABOR did not include a rainy day fund as Maine’s TABOR includes. The voters of Colorado amended their version of TABOR but turned down a tremendous increase in their state debt.
Lu mentioned that the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CED) puts Maine in the top ten of its “Assets and Opportunity” rankings because of such things as Maine’s tax policies and business development. Really? I guess that the CED failed to notice that Maine has the highest ranking for tax burden in the U.S. and the next to last business-friendly ranking! If you love to tax and spend, the CED will love you, too!
We all have heard many industrial jobs have left this state. Take the paper industry as a good example. Approximately 50 percent of those jobs have disappeared in just a short time. Although our governor has claimed to have created something like 22,000 jobs, other folks in state government claim that, overall, the state has lost more jobs that have been created.
I haven’t a clue what Lu means by progressive tax reform but it scares me to think what it might mean. All the “supposed” tax relief I have seen from the Democrats, like that proposed in LD 1, is nothing more than a tax shift and any tax relief is actually paid for by us. LD 1 does nothing to control government spending in a significant manner and certainly does nothing to control property taxes.
Remember that TABOR puts limits on the increase in government spending at all levels in Maine. In the next few months, you will hear those Chicken Little rumors that the sky is falling because government spending will be cut. Those that love to tax and spend cannot fathom the idea that their tentacles will be removed from our bank accounts and that TABOR puts the power back to the people where it belongs.
TABOR is spending reform. Once our runaway spending in this state is brought under control, then it will be time to reform taxation and do away with its heavy burden upon the citizens of this state.
TABOR. Shine the light and shine it bright.
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