Posted on 03/21/2005 6:27:57 AM PST by aynrandy
The Great Taxpayer's Bill of Rights Compromise.
It's reminiscent of the classic compromise with the wife: Do what she says, and in return, you won't have to relive Chapter 3 of Dante's "Inferno."
Compromise, yes. But here's a warning: When you see taxation junkies like Joan Fitz-Gerald and Andrew Romanoff yukking it up with the governor, it may be time to open that offshore account in the Cayman Islands.
Sure, on a human level, it was refreshing to see everyone in such jolly spirits.
I mean, the Dems have been unbearably petulant lately, warning us about the world's demise via unimpeded pothole growth.
So what do they do?
They devise a heralded compromise with Gov. Bill Owens - and in compromise, I mean a plan that embodies the imagination of an amoeba.
You know, nothing makes a politician giddier than a $3 billion tax grab. And now, with the governor's help, our legislative friends can look forward to the bottomless public dole.
Good for them. Too bad we can't all have such luck.
Most Colorado families deal with a budget crisis each day. They'd all love an infinite well of money to draw from.
To them, I suggest the get-rich-quick Romanoff/Fitz-Gerald/Owens plan. Just ask to borrow some sugar next door, walk in, load the 50-inch plasma TV into that X5 3.0i Beemer and take off.
Repeat as often as necessary.
Why not? That's the rock-ribbed socialist way.
Sadly, in this case, we can't simply fault Dems.
Listen, I'm a Republican. But I'm not happy about it. Especially when I see alleged fiscal conservatives like Owens joining the tax swarm.
"It's a disaster," leading tax-reform advocate Grover Norquist says. "You have a governor who has put himself forward as being an anti-tax-and-spend guy. Now he's leading the fight to raise taxes and spending."
The governor, as you can imagine, rejects this characterization of his actions.
Owens defends his record of tax cuts and contends that for him to simply oppose everything the Democrats suggested would have been counterproductive.
Counterproductive or good sense?
Instead, Owens explains, he decided to make the best deal he could as a way to protect TABOR in the long term.
Norquist is, let's just say, unconvinced: "It's a repudiation of everything he said earlier in his career. It is unfathomable and inexcusable. He is campaigning for a massive tax raise. There is no polite way to sugarcoat this."
Norquist's not happy. Expect comparable outrage statewide.
But let's face it, ordinary folks would rather discuss the mating habits of sardines.
"TABOR is killing us, dude," says my e-mail, even if TABOR hasn't created a single penny of the budget shortfall yet. That's Amendment 23, the autopilot tax increase for K-12. Who's going to argue to alter that one?
The bright side? Well, the TABOR Wrecking Crew has a super sense of humor. They actually want to convince you there's a tax cut involved here.
Romanoff, architect of the pretend tax cut, is a lot brighter than most of us. But if he's under the impression we can't subtract, he's mistaken.
Most of us own calculators. Just punch it in.
Tiny cuts. Billions in tax increases.
His colleague, Senate leader Fitz-Gerald, is also a riot.
In a moment of unwarranted graciousness, she referred, yes, to herself as a "pragmatist."
You have to wonder: What exactly is pragmatic about trying to snatch a couple billion bucks away from working citizens? Seems sort of selfish, actually.
"This will just remind everyone that you cannot count on the goodwill of elected officials when you have spending limits," Norquist told me.
But you knew that. It was the reason you had TABOR in the first place.
David Harsanyi's column appears Monday and Thursday. He can be reached at 303-820-1255 or dharsanyi@denverpost.com .
I would really like to know what this is about. Are there any articles on the subject that make sense and are readable? If this guy is supporting tax hikes, my 2008 choice is a lot easier.
this is a column, guy is the only conservative in colorado and popular for writing a funny column.
there are few others who think its a bad thing
The one good thing is we get to vote on it this fall..hopefully we can send it back to the ashes....it cracks me up that a politician just can't cut a project or funding...ever......its ALWAYS..more..more...more
i agree. it never ends
TABOR is the TAxpayers Bill Of Rights, passed by ballot initiative, that mandates budget surpluses, that is, overtaxation, be refunded to taxpayers and not sent to the general fund. Bill Owens ran on a low-tax platform. Now, he wants to "temporarily" scrap TABOR. Put me in the "against" column.
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