Posted on 08/28/2011 10:58:00 AM PDT by hocndoc
“We would be wise to remember a universal truth: No government has ever taxed and spent its way to greater prosperity.” Governor Rick Perry, 2005
This is in response to a post by blogger "MarkAmerica" at FreeRepublic.com. Unfortunately, there are many bloggers out there making the same accusations and false statements. Hopefully, this will clear up some of the questions less biased people might have.
To MarkAmerica:
Incredulously, your statements here imply that you are privy to the thinking and motives not only of Governor Perry, but of Mark Davis! Your comments are skewed bias and nothing more useful than shotgun accusations without evidence to back them up.
You falsely state that the Governor does not represent the same ideals as those of us in the Tea Party. I attended my first Tea Party event on February 27, 2009 in San Antonio and I say that you are flat wrong. Governor Perry met with 3 separate Tea Party groups on Tax Day, April 15th, 2009 - the day he's accused of suggesting that Texas might secede. We know he never suggested any such thing, but he has always firmly stated his belief in small government, less taxation, and greater accountability to the people.
You also falsely claim that Governor Perry has less in common with regular Texans than with Wall Street “types.” I think his history is at least more familiar to Texans: he grew up far away from the city on a tenant farm, became an Eagle Scout, flew C-130’s as an Air Force pilot, and spent a few more years back on that farm as an adult. You falsely claim that the Governor is uninterested in individual rights. A review of his speeches and of his books prove that to be a lie. He said in his first State of the State in 2001, that “We must preserve freedom and opportunity by extending it, one Texan at a time.” In his 2003 State of the State address, the Governor made his concern for the individual even more clear by telling the Legislature to remember that “behind every government program, there is a real taxpayer funding it.” He also reminds us that "The right to life is a fundamental right declared by our forefathers" and has consistently championed prolife laws each session.
Your false claim that the Governor only talks tough when he’s running for office is easily dis-proven by looking at 2003, when he had just won re-election for four years. Texas, like the Nation was reeling from the financial fallout of September 11, 2001. The Governor had already led State agencies to cut spending for the fiscal year by 7-13% and called on the Legislature to pass the first budget to cut State spending since World War II by prioritizing education, security and “fiscal responsibility, because neither of these priorities can be met unless our spending is disciplined.”
The Governor has always been adamant about cutting taxes, too. He’s repeatedly called for cuts in property taxes. Look at this, from the 2005 "State of the State"speech:
You falsely claim that the Governor has had a “more recent conversion” on tightening border security, ignoring the fact that Texas spends about a million dollars of our own tax funds each year to secure the border. Back in the Spring of 2001, he vetoed a driver’s license bill because it did't limit illegal aliens. He has consistently demanded that the Federal government do its job on border control by authorizing National Guard deployment. In 2005, he used money from his own office budget to increase funding for local law enforcement and set aside a task force from the Department of Public Safety.It is time to cut property taxes for the hardworking people of Texas. In fact, let's not only give Texans property tax relief...let's give them appraisal relief too.
Texans don't like taxation without representation, and they are sick and tired of taxation by valuation.
The time has come to draw a line in the sand for the taxpayer: Let's cap appraisals at three percent.
If you oppose a three percent cap on the philosophical grounds of local control, I can respect your position. But then I would hope you would be consistent, and advocate for the repeal of the ten percent cap on the same basis. There is no point in being lukewarm on this issue. Either be hot or cold; either provide real appraisal relief, or none at all. But let's stop this false pretense of taxpayer protection at ten percent.
You falsely accuse that the Governor is guilty of “corporate-cronyism.” The Governor promotes privatization rather than growth of government and taxes wherever possible, encourages Texas to compete with other States for jobs and business investments, and most of the business owners appreciate his efforts. Our 2005 tort reform - and the new "loser pays" law - has benefited every business except the trial lawyers. The Toyota plant that opened in San Antonio and a $3 billion dollar Texas Instruments plant are just two strong examples that our Texas policies work to bring jobs to Texas.
Your false claim that the Governor is a “statist” is ridiculous. The entirety of the book Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington is proof against your statement. Here’s just a couple of quotes:
"The statists believe in a powerful, activist central government that advances a radical secular agenda in the name of compassion. The hide behind misguided notions of empathy and push token talking points about fighting for the little guy, all the while empowering the federal government to coercively and blatantly undermine state-, local-, and self-governance.” Location 320(both quotes from Perry, Rick; Newt Gingrich (2010-11-15). Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington. Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition., the Kindle PC edition. And, no I don't get a dime from Amazon.com, either. I just do my homework.)“The truth is, I don’t care what party the statist is in. The fact of the matter is, it is the statist, and those who support or enable him, who is the problem. For too long he has undermined this country by empowering the national government at the expense of liberty. An America defined by the statist in Washington is an America doomed to fail.” ” Location 338
Since you dismiss anything since 2010, here’s an earlier example that the Governor has a clear understanding about personal responsibility, opportunity and a better understanding than most about the differences in power of local governments, the States and the Federal government. He testified before the US House of Representatives against federalization of emergency first responders in 2005. (Testimony here.) (Yes, the response of Washington to the crises after Katrina was to propose to federalize EMS.)
I’ve blogged on the Gardasil Executive Order at LifeEthics.org since February, 2007 and have written more in the last month at WingRight.org. It’s foolish to continue to claim that the Governor was bribed by $6000 in donations (he raised $20 million dollars that year). There is no evidence that the Governor had any motive other than to decrease disease, speed up the coverage of the vaccine by private insurance, and to strengthen parents’ rights by making it easier for them to opt out of any or all mandatory vaccines.
Which leaves the TransTexasCorridor. That was a now-defunct attempt to solve a lot of problems including the need to move more traffic and freight faster, safer and outside city congestion by a combination of privatization and tolls. We had concrete examples of the need for more roads leading across the State during the evacuation of South Texas in response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike. The Governor encouraged the 2005 law to protect private property rights through the control of eminent domain and signed even stronger protections this year.
Conservatives and Republicans shouldn't forget that our enemy is big federal government and that States are better suited and have the Constitutional authority to try many more solutions to many more problems. As someone who's been accused of being a "Perry operative" due to my answers to the multiple political rants against Governor Perry, I assure you that some of us have sincerely come to the opinion that Governor Perry should be our next President by the same process that others have decided to advocate for their own particular candidate. We recognize that in his 10 years as Governor, he has boldly practiced what he professes: that States should be "laboratories of democracy." Not every experiment works, but the Governor has demonstrated that he can learn from mistakes and has the flexibility to change course when the people object.
” - - about half the folks who have to file a federal income tax return don’t owe any federal personal income taxes. “
You have made my point.
Those who vote are about 55 % of us of voter age.
Those who do not send money to Sheriff of Nottingham Timmy Gee are as you say “ — about half the folks —.”
The next step will be a much higher income bracket who “ - - - don’t owe any federal personal income taxes. “
Finally the 1 % who now pay 80 % of the taxes will be outvoted 99 to 1 on every single election from then on.
There are plenty of other taxes and you can't miss them or you'll meet the same fine gentlemen sent out to pick you up at gun point and haul you into tax court.
Thanks for pointing out a typo. Have you noticed how those seem to appear *only* after you hit “submit?”
That number on Texas tax dollars spent on border control should be “about a 100 million dollars” a year.
1. The staff I’ve met are definitely average Texans - unfortunately too often lawyers and too darned young to have had much life experience. I’ve often joked that what they need, if anything, in Austin (and Washington) is to begin a new program for middle aged and geriatric ‘interns’ rather than the 22-26 year olds!
2. While looking up some information that TheWriterTX posted, I found this site on Texas Debt and Budgeting. http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/rep_bios.php?rep_id=56615334&category=views&id=20110719150503
Property taxes for school were cut from $1.50 to $1. Now,I’m not a tax expert, but that’s a pretty big cut, at least nominally. It’s disturbing how many of the local school districts have actually voted to increase their local rates right up to the limit.
3. and 4. see typo note, above, and the comments about 2001 and driver’s licenses (we did restrict them this year) and 2005 funding for border control. We’ve noted on this Forum that the Governor has also sent in the Texas Ranger Recon Team and the rest of the DPS border effort. (it wasn’t a new program, even when the Governor demonstrated it for Greta.)
5. There you go again pretending to know motives. The Governor notes that his book is probably not the best thing he could have done if he’d been planning to run for President.
6. Have you any evidence that the 911 system is being underfunded to its detriment? That would be a better question.
We the people of Texas demanded that the budget be balanced without new taxes. Every segment of the State’s budget has felt the result of that demand.
This http://www.texaslsg.org/82nd/fr05282011budget is a report by the rabid left (Coleman, Burnham, Anchia and Naishtat)in the Texas House of Representatives. They never met a budget cut they liked. In fact, it’s about HB 1 from the regular session. The filibuster in the Senate on the last night necessitated a Special Session and a completely new start on the budget building process.
It is true that the 911 fees are put into the general fund, and funneled through the Comptroller’s office. Many fees - like the physician’s license permit - are divided between State agencies and the general fund. 75% of the Emergency fund is spent
In fact, the 911 fees are better compared to the many ways that the Feds force statist policies on States by coercing us to tax and spend their way or lose Federal funds.
Yes, Governor Perry is for repealing the 16th Amendment and getting rid of the IRS. He’d prefer a flat tax.
“Second, we should restrict the unlimited source of revenue that the federal government has used to grow beyond its constitutionally prescribed powers.
“One option would be to totally scrap the current tax code in favor of a flat tax, and thereby make taxation much simpler, easier to follow, and harder to manipulate. Another option would be to repeal the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution (providing the power for the income tax) altogether, and then pursue an alternative model of taxation such as a national sales tax or the Fair Tax. The time has come to stop talking about fixing the broken and burdensome tax code and to take bold action to replace it with one that is not a burden for the taxpayer and that provides only the modest revenue needed to perform the basic constitutional functions of the federal government. America needs a fairer, flatter, and simpler system, one which working families can complete without having to hire a bevy of professionals to assist them.”
Perry, Rick; Newt Gingrich (2010-11-15). Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington (pp. 182-183). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.
I call this the “de Toqueville moment,” a repeated theme at WingRight.
http://wingright.org/2011/07/18/the-de-toqueville-moment-are-you-for-sale/
http://wingright.org/2011/07/24/the-de-toqueville-moment-will-we-endure/
http://wingright.org/2011/08/03/more-de-toqueville-moments-yes-they-want-to-tax-and-spend/
Absolutely outstanding response to the rhetoric. We need balanced information. Thank you for raising the level of discourse.
BWAHAHAHAHA
Re: #6. I’m skipping over the rest, because this one is golden. You say, in essence “Well okay, yes, but maybe it’s okay.”
Unfortunately, here you’ve landed in my particular field. Yes, 9-1-1 has been negatively effected. This underfunding will mean that NextGen911 won’t be fully implemented in even the larger PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) for some years longer than might otherwise have been the case. Here’s the point, however: The money is collected on the basis of funding 9-1-1. That’s what the law says. Instead, it was diverted elsewhere. Period.
There was a similar issue with another agency some years back, where fees were collected for licenses, and the money in the agency’s account balance was swept, essentially stealing the funds for purposes other than for which they’d been earmarked. I’m going to need to dig up more facts before naming the agency, but that’s the gist as I recall.
Back to #1. So the average Texan is a young lawyer?
#2: That’s why it’s important to actually reform the tax system. I don’t think the effective tax has substantially change for anybody.
Look, I don’t mind if you want to support Perry, but please, this idea that he’s a paragon of capitalism and a strong lifelong defender of border security measures has got to stop. Your estimate of ‘about a 100 million dollar’ needs a little firming up, too.
Every presidential candidate is expected to have written at least one book these days. I knew when Perry’s was published that my suspicions about his intentions were probably accurate. Well, guess what? Seems they were.
You know, trying to demonstrate somebody’s motive is something that’s done in courts all across the country every day. Stop pretending that I’m attempting to read Perry’s mind. I’m not. I can read his actions.
GREAT...thanks.
Last nite an old childhood friend from Ohio called to ask me about Perry. She has friends, etc., who are leery of him because of the recent attacks on him.
As a Texan, I answered her honestly. I am forwarding this article to her today. She and I discussed the Gardisil and TTC, last nite. I like the quotes from Perry’s books from this article, that should certainly give a fair picture of the man.
Thanks.
Good observations, in fact they are quite obvious. Or else Perry would not have served 3 consecutive terms.
“some years longer?”
Actually, yes, as long as the legislature is making the appropriations and the process is open, “it’s okay.” There are costs to the State in overhead - collection, bookkeeping, disbursement.
The State cut spending, except for education and a very few others. No one gets everything from government that they want, even if we followed the recommendations from your Coleman/Naishtat/Anchia reference and raised taxes.
EMS won’t get to fully implement the newest toy for “some years longer” and the sovereign State of Texas won’t spend money collected from our citizens the way the Feds tell us to.
“Firming up” those numbers would require counting all the money local and county law enforcement spends.
However, the final budget passed 82nd Legislature appropriated $157 million in direct spending on border control for the next two years. In addition to the usual DPS functions, the State purchased helicopters and initiated the Ranger Recon Team .
Border counties and their Sheriff’s Coalitions are spending their own money to assist in training Mexico police and federal forces to combat the drug coalitions in addition to more routine police work by both city and county LEO’s. As the Governor has pointed out, we incur costs to jail arrested and convicted illegal aliens.
What I said that the Governor’s background is familiar to the average Texan. I believe that you tried to made the correlation between the staff at the Capitol and Wall Street. Those young lawyers aren’t “Wall Street.”
Does your clairvoyance give you special insight into why the Governor wrote “On My Honor?”
” No, I didn’t make your point. You forgot to specify “Federal Personal Income Tax”. - - - “
I agree that I was in error to not be more specific. Let me re-phrase: 51 % of the people who could be paying US Federal Personal Income Taxes pay no US Federal Personal Income Taxes. This could be do to a large number of factors including an income ceiling below which they would not be obligated to pay any US Federal Personal Income Taxes. This is a tax loophole for those who do not want to” pay their fair share. “
These same non-paying US Federal Personal Income Tax non-payers have the opportunity to vote for people who want to buy their votes in National elections. For example, Professor You Lie offered only 500 dollars of taxpayer money per voter to win in 2008.
The Debtocratic Party will continue to raise the now 51 % to a future 99% who do not pay US “Federal Personal Income Tax.”
At that point the Debtocrats will have operational control of whatever they choose to pass laws to control.
Remember their motto: REGULATE, CONTROL AND DESTROY.
Their reasoning is simple:
1.) Dig THE VALLEY OF DEBT so deep that the USA will never be able to pay it off;
2.) Pass regulations that can be rewritten and expanded for years to come , and eventually replace the need for Congress to pass Laws, and the need for THE NINE SUPREMES to re-interpret any previous laws. Then the Executive will be the only effective Branch of the US Federal Government;
3.) Keep raising the income ceiling for people who do not have to pay “ Federal Personal Income Tax; “
4.) Keep repeating the lie that “ everyone must pay their fair share, “ because eventually everyone will believe it.
THAKS! Will save and put to good use!
” - - - - I call this the “de Toqueville moment,” - - - .”
Thanks for the addy.
Back in 1831 this was quite a revelation to the fledging US. The debtocrats used it in the classic “ gradual boiling of a frog manner “ until 1971( or 2?) when more than 50 % of Americans received a letter from “ an Eagle flying over their mailboxes. “
It took the debtocrats in “both” political parties 140 years to cut the roots of our Republic. My hope is that we can begin growing new roots soon.
First, we have to reverse the National Debt Clock. Ah! Here is my pal Question-Man!
Question-Man : WHO WILL LEAD US OUT OF THE VALLEY OF DEBT ?
It's an anachronism from two centuries ago that should be allowed to die.
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