Posted on 04/26/2004 8:08:18 PM PDT by WKB
Republican Gov. Haley Barbour says he will veto a cigarette tax increase if it hits his desk.
“I ran a campaign (and) very emphatically, repeatedly, consistently said that I was against raising anybody’s taxes — whiskey taxes, gambling taxes, cigarette taxes, chewing tobacco taxes, liquor taxes, beer taxes, sales taxes,” Barbour said today. “If you can think of any other taxes, I’m against raising them.”
House leaders are proposing a 9-cent per pack tax increase on cigarettes to pay to open and operate several mental health crisis centers that have been built around the state. Speaker Billy McCoy says the tax would generate $21.9 million a year. Mississippi has charged 18 cents tax per pack of cigarettes since 1985 — one of the lowest rates in the nation.
Barbour is a former Washington lobbyist for tobacco companies. Asked if that influenced his opposition to a cigarette tax increase, he said: “My thoughts on that are influenced by the fact that raising taxes is the enemy of controlling spending.” Barbour spoke at a luncheon sponsored by the Capitol press corps and Mississippi State University’s John C. Stennis Institute of Government. McCoy, D-Rienzi, said later at the Capitol that he’s not bothered by Barbour planning to veto a cigarette tax bill.
“As the House of Representatives moves and evolves through a legislative session, we make decisions based on testimony that we see and hear,” McCoy said. He said the House will vote “at the proper time” on a resolution allowing a cigarette tax bill to be filed. Because the normal bill-filing deadlines have passed, both the House and the Senate must give two-thirds approval for a bill to be written. It would then take three-fifths majorities to pass a tax increase. Overriding a governor’s veto takes a two-thirds majority.
Barbour said he doesn’t think there’s enough support in the House and Senate to even send a cigarette tax bill to his desk.
Also Monday, the governor said he will not veto a bill that gives salary increases to sheriffs and other counties officials. He said he would have preferred a bill that gave discretion to the counties rather than mandating the increases.
The bill, approved by both chambers last Friday, gives 20 percent raises to sheriffs, supervisors and other county officials. The raises for most positions would be mandatory, but supervisors would have to vote to accept their own raise. It would be the county officials’ first raise in eight years.
He's a conservative.
Quick guide: conservative minus pro-life minus anti-terror plus crazy stuff = libertarian.
LOL Its funny how every so often, like a menstruating dog, you get these constitutional warriors who proclaim 'I'M A LIBERTARIAN DAMMIT". Then you use their party's own platform to pick off their arguements one at time, like zits on a donkey's @ss, until they cower in the corner pleading 'no more' 'no more'. Or, they just stop posting for a long while.
I just wonder what, if any, redeeming value libertarianism has beyond conservatism? I haven't found any, just a bunch of wierd and/or liberal stuff.
Many of them are, but let's be honest. A surprising number are anarchists, though they'll never admit to it. Then there are some like Buckley who are far from liberal.
I wish we had 500, or so, like Haley in Washington. You're right, onyx...he's a man of his word.
It appears someone tried to make this thread into a R vs L thread. I hate when that happens. ;o)
Many of them are, but let's be honest. A surprising number are anarchists, though they'll never admit to it.
Moral-liberals, that is, in full agreement with the Marxist-Leninists, Stalinists, Trotskyites, Maoists, anarchists, and Democrats, regarding social and moral issues.
I couldn't agree more CJ. Libertarians represent the ugly side of morality. By the way, I haven't heard a PEEP out of XRP since he was show the Libertarian website supporting the legalization of child porn. Do they often just disappear after you slap 'em with their own petards?
Ah, me. The Blue Meanies are out there to thwart The People at every turn! They browse the political isles shopping for ideas, and almost get to see the wonderous Libertarian product sitting on the shelf, but here come the Blue Meanies to distract and hide the Party Marvelous!
All joking aside, people are well-able to see their shabby political product but choose to walk away from it. The only thing hindering the LP is the LP platform and the humanist moral-liberal mindset which created it.
You're in full agreement with the Brady campaign on gun issues.
What you linked to refers to consenual sexual relations. Children don't enter into consenual sexual relations, by law (ever heard of statuatory rape?).
Call my brand of libertarianism the Boortzian Libertarianism. That definitely doesn't call for legalization of child porn.
But hey, I guess being Republican and supporting the drug war is OK, as long as children and old people are being shot and killed in drug raids gone bad, right?
Always remember, I don't worship you, I pity you. Sorry to distract you from the other paragraph I posted which dealt with child porn:
""the repeal of all laws regulating or prohibiting the possession, use, sale, production, or distribution of sexually explicit material, independent of "socially redeeming value" or compliance with "community standards";"
Given your were so ready to identify yourself as a libertarian, I guess it's not hard to conclude that you support the 'possession, use, sale, production, or distribution' of child porn.
Negative, ClintonLover, libertarians oppose that which violates the rights of others, which obviously child pornography does. How sad that you advocate the legalization of child porn.
I've heard it said (Here on FR BTW which I will now blatantly steal) that libertarians are merely liberals who can add
Of course gay libertarians are liberals who can add but not multiply
Now, about those tobacco taxes...If all citizens enjoy the "benefits" of a tax, all citizens should pay the tax, period. The demagogues who want to continually tax tobacco only, for the benefit of all, can go straight to the Hot Place, for all I care.
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