Over at the right-wing blog NW Republican, “Coyote” (Ted Piccolo) and convicted racketeer Bill Sizemore are advising conservatives NOT to fight a Democrat-backed state income tax increase at the ballot box.
Why? Because, as they see it, the voters deserve to be punished for electing Democrats.
“The voters elected a majority of Democrats to the legislature and a Democrat as governor,” writes Piccolo. “At some point I believe that you need to allow the tax and spend policies of those the people elected, to move forward. … If the referral [to the voters] is successful then you are merely protecting the people from themselves and the people will never realize the true impacts of the Democrat party policies.”
In a line reminiscent of the Emperor Nero’s famous quote, “Odi profanum vulgus et arceo” – “I hate the ignorant rabble and I keep them at a distance” – Sizemore concurs with Piccolo:
“By collecting the signatures and referring all these increases to the ballot, conservative activists would in effect be saving Oregon voters from pain that their choices at the polls have brought upon them (and us). The predictable result would be that voters would likely vote again for the same tax and spend Democrat politicians in 2010.”
Elsewhere in his comment, though, Sizemore hints at what is probably the real reason he thinks right-wingers shouldn’t fight the Democrats’ proposal to raise income taxes on big corporations and couples making over $250,000 a year.
“Defeating this new income tax increase, at least in the form in which it is expected to appear, is not going to be the cakewalk the last one was,” he writes. “The 2004 Measure 30 referendum challenged a broad based income tax surcharge that fell on most Oregonians. Collecting the signatures and defeating that increase was like shooting fish in a barrel.
“Democrats, however, have learned from that shellacking. This time, they are targeting upper income taxpayers, which pay an inordinate share of the taxes but comprise a small minority of the electorate. The so-called wealthy are easy targets for the socialist minded, union dominated, ‘hate the rich’ Democrat majority in Salem and their divide and conquer strategy will probably work.”
Take away the union-bashing and “socialism” claptrap and Sizemore’s point boils down to this: “If we go to the voters and ask them to reject a modest tax increase on corporations and rich people while important state services are being cut, we’ll get our asses handed to us.”
This article appears in May 14-20, 2009.
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We were punished for electing republicans. We’ll be punished for re-electing anyone currently in office now. They are all in bed with themselves. There is no difference but the difference between a politician and a person that produces and slaves now for the politician(us). There are the lazy fools that sit on their butts and legislate peter to pay paul and get paid for it. There are people that think the battle is beween Dems and reps. The continuance of division is the sustaining of the now biggest lie.
hmm, they really are insulting aren’t they. Why do they assume that they are smarter than the majority (who voted democrat)? Don’t these guys realize that we as democrats KNOW that raising taxes would hit our pocket books and have come to terms with it? I understand that they don’t feel they should have to pay taxes, but they shouldn’t assume that they’re the smart ones because they believe one thing and the masses are the stupid ones because they believe a different way. That’s not any way to gain support for the next election.
guest: Thanks for illustrating my point, and demonstrating once again that the Republicans are the REAL elitists.
There’s only One Party, however you name it.
I like to call it The Mainstream Multi-Millionaire Media (alternatively The Bullshiten).