“Let me tell you how it will be,
there’s one for you, 19 for me…
Should 5 percent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all.
‘Cause I’m the tax man, yeah I’m the tax man.” — The Beatles, 1965
If there’s one sure fire way for a political candidate to lose an election, it’s promising to raise taxes. Damn few have ever dared to do that in a campaign.
However, a famous commercial in 1984 for Ronald Reagan depicted an elderly man who complains to his granddaughter, “Those Democrats wanna raise taxes again!” The young woman responds, “Don’t worry, Grandpa.”
One of the most remarkable tales of raising taxes and absorbing consequences was about two Michigan State Senators who supported a temporary income tax hike from 4.6 to 5.8 percent to handle a budget deficit.
The two were recalled by voters in their district, the deficit was erased and the tax rate was brought back down to 4.6%.
The damage had been done. When the two Demos were recalled, the Republican Party took over the majority 20-18 status, a majority the GOP has retained ever since, even taking a 26-12 advantage in 2016.
After John Engler took over the governorship, the income tax was lowered from 4.6 to 3.9 percent. Not satisfied, Republicans, including Patty Birkholz of Saugatuck, passed a bill to make the 3.9 percent permanent.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm finally persuaded a majority to support bumping the rate to 4.25%, where it remained until now. But the GOP wants to lower it back to 3.9 again.
All the while, many have complained about reduction in state services, particularly in roads. The GOP between 2010 and 2018 had sizeable majorities in the House and Senate and it had the governor’s chair with Rick Snyder. But it didn’t lift a finger to “fix the damn roads,” which became the most famous slogan of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s gubernatorial campaign.
OK, to be sure, the roads still leave much to be desired, but a little thing such as Covid got in the way.
So it appeared the Republican Party was back to its old saw of reducing taxes, cutting government services and privatizing. Another gambit lately has been cutting the state gas tax, not now, but starting two years down the road. It looks good at first and on paper, but when you look deeper, you come to understand that if you want decent roads, quality education, necessary personnel and tools for fire and police, you have to pay for them — with those dreaded taxes.
The GOP still seems enamored with supply-side, trickle-down economics and continues to try to make government small enough to drown it in the bathtub.
But because too many people aren’t paying attention, don’t care and keep electing these bozos again and again, we’re about to see a lot of reruns.
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