Some months ago Carla Howell and the Libertarians of Massachusetts set out to do more than just talk about making government smaller. They decided to act. They decided to give the people of Massachusetts an opportunity not to slow the rise of taxes, not to freeze them, not to index them… but to roll them back. They penned a ballot initiative to abolish the Massachusetts Income Tax.
It is not easy to get an initiative on the ballot. It costs a great deal of money and untold hours of labour. Libertarians from all over pitched in with donations of cash; Carla and her crew lived and breathed petition from 6am to 12 midnight day after day, week after week, month after month.
And they did it. 75,516 Certified signatures were delivered in 10 shipping boxes to the Elections Division Office of the Secretary of State on Tuesday, December 4th. The event was covered by local and national media and garnered significant publicity for the Libertarian Party. Carla reports coverage by the Associated Press, the State House News Service, The Boston Globe, The Lowell Sun, Berkshire Eagle, NPR, WBZ, WBUR, WTAG, WSAR, WHMP, WHAI, WHYN, BNN TV, Free-Market.net, The Chicopee Herald, Reminder Metro-West, Providence Journal, Fox News and CNN Banner Headline.
Our modern day Sons of Liberty delivered 101,139 raw signatures to 343 town clerks; 75% were validated. Only 57,100 were required to put this measure on the ballot for November 2002. It was unreported whether they are saving the Indian war paint for next year’s post election party.
The implications are beginning to sink in. Howls of anguish and even fear that voters might actually vote for $3000 a year back into their own pockets are rising from the snouts of the public trough class. You can be sure the next phase will be neither quiet nor behind the scenes. The porkers will be out in force from here on out, inventing tax cut horror stories, trundling out their pet talking head victims, putting career bureaucrats on TV to tell how they will cut their most important services first… Oh it is going to be glorious to watch.
It has already begun. Michael Widmer, Director of Communications and Deputy Chief Secretary of former Governor Michael Dukakis(D) and currently the President of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation is one of the first to voice his fears:
“It would decimate state government.”
Awww…. I’m soooo sad about that Mr Widmer. In fact, ending the income tax would leave a state budget of $14 Billion. That’s 40% higher than Michael Dukakis’ last bloated budget.
Mr. Widmer also noted that ending the income tax would cause “the lay-off of tens of thousands of government workers.” He neglects to add it would put $9 Billion back into the Massachusetts economy. That’s enough to create 400,000 new jobs in the private sector. More than enough to put those government employees to work doing something productive, Mr. Widmer. Next Question?
It’s going to be a bloody war for the next year and the opposition is going to bring enormous resources to bear to hold on to their $9 Billion a year tithe from the working people of Massachusetts. Carla’s little tribe are going to need help. I highly recommend that all who can afford to do so donate and continue to donate. Money is the armament of political warfare and we have to keep our braves in arrowheads if we expect them to take on the Leviathan.
It’s going to be an absolutely magnificent tea party.
