The battle cry for House Republicans during the last election campaign was clear: “Read my lips, No New Taxes.”
Sorry, wrong election. That line came from George H. Bush in his only successful campaign for the presidency in the 1980s. You remember what happened after that. He caved on that promise, and became a one-term president.
Idaho House Republicans made a similar pledge during last year’s campaign. A few of them might have even used these words: “Nope, we ain’t gonna raise no taxes. We got too much gubberment as it is and teachers can go out and get a real job if they don’t like it.”
You know where I’m going with this. House Republicans caved. And they took away, of all things, the grocery tax credit – the one saving grace for all the people who have lost jobs, or otherwise fallen on hard times.
Nice work, all you hypocrites who voted to pull the plug.
Now that these “conservatives” have taken this one small step toward higher taxation, maybe they could look at other sources. The Statesman suggests the $1.7 billion in sales tax exemptions. Sure, why not? Let’s repeal all of them.
How about raising the cigarette taxes? Beer and wine taxes? Soda pop? That stuff’s bad for you, anyway. Write that bill to raise those taxes and we can call it the “Idaho Healthcare Act of 2011.”
If Republicans play it right, Idaho could have plenty of money for public schools, higher education, Medicaid and other services. Heck, maybe they’d even have enough to build a gymnasium for the legislators.
I can hardly wait for these CIROs (Conservatives in Rhetoric Only) explain all this at the next Tea Party rally.
