Posted on 03/10/2006 8:27:00 AM PST by Crackingham
Gov. Bob Riley visited five north Alabama cities Thursday urging voters to pressure their legislators to approve his plan to cut their state income taxes. Touring on a chartered bus dubbed the "tax-cut express," Riley in all five stops told the crowds the plan he and most Republican and black Democratic lawmakers have agreed on will help almost all taxpayers, especially poor and working-class families, while doing nothing to harm the funding of state schools.
"We have the most immoral tax system in the nation," Riley said. "The system requires a family to begin paying taxes if they make just $4,600 a year. Our plan will raise that threshold to $12,400 a year while also cutting the amounts most of our working families and our senior citizens pay in income tax."
Riley explained how a record budget surplus projected at $1 billion has made it possible for the state to not only pay all its bills, but also to put millions away in a rainy-day fund for schools, to fully fund education and to give teachers and state employees a pay raise. But Riley said the state can do more.
"We gave a cost-of-living adjustment to our teachers, to state employees, and they needed one," Riley told a crowd of about 150 at the Hartselle Civic Center. "But you know who else needs more money? The men and women who get up every day and go to at least one job and maybe two jobs. They need one, too," Riley added as the crowd applauded.
The stops along Thursday's tour - Double Springs, Cullman, Hartselle, Blountsville and Huntsville - are in the House and Senate districts of mostly white Democrats who either oppose the tax cut plan or are leaning against it.
At each stop, Riley hammered away, urging the crowds to go home and call those legislators and tell them to support the tax cut or at least try to justify why they will not. Riley said they won't be able to.
Bob Riley is a good governor that got talked into a bad plan when he first took office conservetive acts like this will get him re-elected easily
Good governor? He pushed through sham "property rights" legislation against eminent domain which contained a giant loophole condemning "blighted property." Even as we speak, that loophole is being used in this state to condemn thriving small businesses....and Riley has done nothing. Riley was a liar in 2002 and he is a liar now. He is not to be trusted but you are perfectly free to be fooled again if you wish.
From tax-hiker to tax-cutter...
and you would rather have seigelman or baxley????
because moore isnt even an option
I didn't say I wanted anything.
Siegelman promised that he would not raise taxes and he didn't. Moore promised that he would not raise taxes and did. Better a crook than a bald-faced liar.
And back to tax hiker again if the wind blows the right way.
What I resented most about the tax hike debacle ... the apocalyptic predictions of what would happen to the state if voters rejected the plan.
Now the Governor in his campaign ads is bragging about the revenue surplus.
In other words, the dire threats he and his friends used to try to blackmail the people of Alabama were either bureaucratic delusions or outright lies.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
my original question is
who is a better candidate???
That's a tough question really. The right-sounding demagogue, or the tax-hiking governor? It's not a great choice.
Perhaps both are. THere's a sneaking suspicion among those who know that Moore is quite not the guy he frames himself to be, but a tool of the Ala. trial lawyers.
Riley is going to win this election in a rout
I agree.
There is nobody that is really too likeable here. The Lt. governor candidate (can't remember his name "mo" something) who is opposing George Wallace Jr. in the primary seems impressive, however.
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