If raising taxes is so “hard,” why is everybody doing it?

One of the longest-running myths in American politics is the notion that raising taxes is “hard.” MSM and the Dems love to talk about tax-hike votes as solemn sacrifices that risk political oblivion for the “responsible” decision, as opposed to those of us who supposedly take the “easy way” of opposing higher taxes.

Reality, sadly, is a little different.

In 2011, of all years, when the voters made abundantly clear what they think of big government by electing the largest Republican House majority in over 60 years and the most Senate Republicans in 30 years, tax hikers should be few and far between.

Yet in Prince William, a would-be candidate for U.S. Senate is reaching into taxpayers pockets for new parks. Meanwhile, Republican Senators in Washington – including Tom Coburn, who really should know better - are rolling over for tax increases to solve “urgent problems” (Bearing Drift: please note that the author of that post recently raised taxes on his own constituents in Fluvanna – Free Enterprise Forum).

What gives? A painful reality: raising taxes is easy.

In reality, it’s hard to offer alternatives to tax increases: anyone impacted by the alternative spending cuts takes it personally, political opponents whip up demagoguery and straw men, and the next thing you know, people who have never met and never will declare you to be a heartless brute. If you’re lucky, you won’t be accused of cutting the very things you specifically promised not to cut. It’s more likely you’ll have to dig out from under an avalanche of mistakes from the ignorant and outright lies from the unsavory.

A tax increase, on the other hand, is a fast track to MSM praise, a chance to skip all those arguments over spending numbers, and a whole bunch of things the politician can present to the voters as “things I’ve done for you”.

In economics, when we talk about why tariffs survive despite their damaging effects on the economy, we talk about concentrated benefits (to the protected domestic producers) and diffused costs (to the consumers). It’s actually a similar situation in government budgets: the govenrment programs or departments that benefits from the tax increase are far more visible than the damage done to the economy and to taxpayers from the tax hike.

So, like in 1990 (Washington), 1993 (Washington again), 2004 (Virginia), 2007 (Virginia again), 2011 (Prince William), and pick-a-year (Spotsylvania), our elected officials talk a good game about tightening their belts, then force us to tighten ours.

Why? Because it’s easier, and until that changes, it will just keep happening.

Cross-posted to Virginia Virtucon

Wiki-whoops! Documents reveal more Saddam Hussein-al Qaeda ties

The organization that was supposed to expose and delegitimize the Wahhabist-Ba’athist-Khomeinist war released more evidence justifying its most controversial theatre (Iraq).

From the Weekly Standard:

A former Guantanamo detainee “was identified as an Iraqi intelligence officer who relocated to Afghanistan (AF) in 1998 where he served as a senior Taliban Intelligence Directorate officer in Mazar-E-Sharif,” according to a recently leaked assessment written by American intelligence analysts. The former detainee, an Iraqi named Jawad Jabber Sadkhan, “admittedly forged official documents and reportedly provided liaison between the governments of Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Oh dear. That’s definitely not the headline for which Julian Assange was hoping during the massive document dump.

Cross-posted to Bearing Drift

On Syria

The recent events in Syria would normally compel me to write a post.

However, as the one I wrote five years ago still applies, I think I’ll stick with it. Even my criticisms of the Bush Administration can still apply to this one.

One caveat: I’d place far heavier emphasis on Reaganesque liberation (support anti-regime elements until they overwhelm and overthrow the regime) - as opposed to overt military force – than I did in 2006. That aside, the need to rid the planet of this odious, terrorist-sponsoring tyranny is, if anything, greater today than it was then.

Cross-posted to Virginia Virtucon

Virginia in top 10 states for investment and job creation

Amazing what happens when Virginia has a Governor who doesn’t demand tax increases every year:

Virginia Ranked Sixth in the Nation for Lowest Tax Burden on New Investments

The study was conducted by the Council on State Taxation. They measured capital investment (VA was 6th best) and job creation (VA was 10th best).

I would note that, while the exact formula was not specified, it looks like the Commonwealth would have fallen out of the top ten in both categories had the income tax increase demanded by the missing-seven-billion-dollar man had been enacted.

I’m just sayin’.

Cross-posted to Bearing Drift

On Patriots’ Day

Two hundred and thrity-six years ago today (April 19), the first shots were fired in the War for American Independence (not that independence was the goal at the time; that would come a year later), when farmers, merchants, laborers, and others from rural Massachusetts engaged with British regulars in a fight to preserve the freedom earned through a century and a half of colonial hardship and war.

Note the word, “preserve.” We tend to forget this about the American Revolution, but it began as, essentially, an effort to conserve the colonists’ rights as Englishmen from encroachment by London (most of the colonists were descended from those who left England before it merged with Scotland in 1707). We also tend to forget that the mother country was as divided over the War as we were. Although support to repress the rebellion was probably more widespread in Britain than support for its success here, the one-third Loyalist contingent among Americans was likely matched (if not surpassed) by the resistance to Lord North’s military efforts in Britain (especially once France and Spain joined our side and turned it into a largest world war in history up to that time).

More to the point today, I sometimes wonder what the average 18th-century fellow would have thought of the massive debts, spending, and taxation we have allowed our own government to accumulate. Contrary to what some would think, just about every government action, subsidy, and “entitlement” of today was not new or unheardof in the 18th century, although the scale was much smaller, and usually relegated to local governments. Indeed, the heavy restrictions on Federal power that came down with the 1789 Constitution had little bearing on state power (Connecticut had an established religion until the early 1800s).

So . . . something like California would be just another painful example of profligate second-level government. That said, I’m fairly sure the massive size of Washington would come as quite a shock (even to Alexander Hamilton, who most likely would have considered the entitlements and transfers as complete wastes of resources and entrepreneurial talent).

It is a testament to how far we’ve come when some of the leading spokesmen for liberty and against government encroachment in the Anglosphere can proudly call themselves Tories in the UK, while the current politics of Massachusetts reminds us that “how far we’ve come” also depends on the direction in which one is going.

How closely have we hewn to the principles that led to Lexington and Concord? Where have we strayed the most? How can we return to the 18th century model while avoiding the 18th century pitfalls?

The more I think about it, the more I’d rather hear your answers than give my own.

Cross-posted to Bearing Drift

Reason #48576 why I love the NBA

I’ll be honest, the Knick loss hurt, but no other sport has the linguistic creativity of the Association. Find me an NFL, MLB, or NHL writer who can match Stephen A. Smith when he pens lines like this (ESPN):

But if someone told you the Knicks would dominate seven-eighths of this game, that they would hold an opponent below 90 points just like the Celtics’ top-rated defense, someone would request a drug test — before requesting whatever drug that individual was taking.

Classic.

Cross-posted to VV

McDonnell to Janet Howell: no, because *I* said so

In what I’m certain is a first, Governor Bob McDonnell has vetoed the redistricting bill, due entirely to the Senate lines. It is easily the most dramatic smackdown a Virginia Governor has ever delivered to a legislative body controlled by the opposition party.

McDonnell basically told the State Senate Democrats, from Janet Howell on down, that their plan is likely in violation of the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions (keep in mind, this from the fellow who as Attorney General thought HB3202 was constitutional – you practially have to set the document on fire to fail his test), discriminates against suburban voters (that had to hurt), and chops up counties and cities into julienne fries (which it does).

He also demanded they start redoing lines now.

I must confess; I never expected this. I figured the Governor would change some lines south of the James (like put the 8th back in Virginia Beach) or something. This basically brings everything to a full stop. McDonnell didn’t even present an alternative – which could mean status quo this year and a whole new set of legislative elections in 2012.

Then again, I could be wrong; after all, I missed this entirely.

Cross-posted to Bearing Drift (with different title)

Line of the week . . .

. . . and possibly of the year, from Congressman Paul Ryan on Obama’s “deficit reduction” speech (DC Examiner):

He’s basically a pyromaniac in a field of straw men.

Ouch!

Cross-posted to VV

Mayor Gray arrested – and he wanted it that way!

Meet the new boss . . . same as the old, old boss.  Look out, Washington; the circus is back in town.

Mayor Vincent Gray is known for two things: (1) bouncing Adrian Fenty from the job last year by running a campaign straight out of Marion Barry’s retro-race-grievance playbook, and (2) a raft of crony hires that has returned the late-20th-Century stench of corruption to the District. Even Barry himself has noticed; DC Examiner columist Harry Jaffe landed this quote from him: “That’s the way I did it for 16 years when I was mayor.” Ouch!

So . . . one would think that the last picture that anyone in the Mayor’s office would want to see is the boss in handcuffs.

One would be wrong. Apprently, the Mayor (or one of his crony hires) decided to do some civil disobedience and got himself arrested because he’d rather spend D.C. taxpayer money on abortions than on letting poor kids go to better schools (DC Examiner).

That’s quite the motto when you think of it: Fewer children in worse schools!

Does Gray realize how many people probably looked at that picture and thought – “Hurray! They’re cleaning up the town!” – before reading the headline? Has he pondered how often “keep him there!” will pop up in comments and blogposts?

What’s next? “Goddamn Congress set me up?”

As someone who lives and works in the Virginia suburbs of DC, I just have to shake my head. I can understand the wishes of Washingtonians to be taken seriously, and how the lack of statehood can make that difficult.

Who knows where the District would be if Fenty had been willing to accept the Republican nomination – which he won on Primary Day, 2010. Sure, Fenty (very recent R) probably still would have lost to Gray (D), but it could have helped create the two-party system the District so desperately needs to save them from the local Democrat machine.

As it is, they have a mayor in handcuffs – again.

Cross-posted to Bearing Drift (check out the photo)

Winning!

For the first time in ten years, the New York Knicks have a winning season.

For those of us used to the tragedy that has been Knick basketball, this is the real sign that they have turned the corner (the East has been weak enough to see several sub-.500 teams make the playoffs, including the Knicks themselves in 2004).

On to the playoffs.

Cross-posted to VV