Dave Collins, a columnist at the Day, did a survey of Republican legislators in this part of the state to see if any of them could explain how Stefanowski can eliminate the state income tax. He noted at the beginning of his piece, that there’s a talking point that the notion is really just “aspirational”.
I’m not sure it’s true that those are official talking points. Curiously, they would belie the actual promise of gubernatorial candidate Stefanowski, who doesn’t hedge at all about being able to eliminate a tax that provides half the state’s revenue.
He never wavers on the notion that it is possible, even though he admits he has no idea how it would be accomplished until he gets into office and starts working on the budget.
In chatting with GOP candidates from southeastern Connecticut this week about their impressions of Stefanowski’s promise to end the income tax, none could explain how it would happen. Most sounded generally skeptical but, to a person, they all suggested it was a noble goal.
I suppose it is a noble goal, to a Republican. We Democrats have goals like health care for all, equality before the law, voting rights for everyone, etc. They strike me as more noble than getting rid of one of the few taxes that hits the rich as much as the rest of us, at least on a percentage basis.
Collins appears to recognize that, as Dean Baker might say, Mr. Arithmetic precludes reaching this noble goal, unless, that is, one decides to completely defund the state government, or institute new, or raise, other taxes, like the sales tax, that hit the lower and middle classes harder than the rich.
I’m not sure whether Collins is genuinely puzzled at the inability of the local Republicans to grapple honestly with this issue. If he is, then one must ask where he’s been for the past 38 years, since ever since Reagan (at least) the Republican modus operandi has been to lie about the magic effect of tax reductions for rich people. Stefanowski proposes a more extreme version of what Sam Brownback did to Kansas.
What’s that definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. But lets give the Republicans their due. They don’t really expect different results. The intent is to destroy the ability of the government to act effectively, thereby proving their assertions that government can’t work, though they leave out the part about it not working when it’s run by people who don’t want it to work. Make no mistake, if the Republicans take over Connecticut’s government, this will be one of many things they will do to destroy the state’s economy, leaving it to the Democrats to do what they’ve been doing for years now: clean up their mess.
If Collins is aware of this basic history, he makes no mention of it. It’s almost as if this sort of thing just started yesterday. It really is time for the press, on both the state and national level, to stop the both-siderism, and call out the Republicans for what they are. In that respect, three cheers for Paul Krugman, who is doing just that.
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