Republicans for Taxes

A Tax Increase? $1.2 Billion? Alabamians, It Seems, Say No

I feel for Bob Riley, the Alabama governor, I really do. Here is the reality he faces: Alabama is "last in all the things that are good, first in all the things that are bad." I don't think anyone in the state can dispute that. He has been against taxes during his entire congressional career. He sees that the only way to pay for things to make his state better is to raise taxes. There is no place to cut spending. He is getting eaten alive by the right.

"I want the whole Republican Party to watch this guy fall on his face," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform in Washington. "He lied to his voters. He's been a disaster. He'll never be elected to anything again in his life."

The Times story puts it even clearer:

Indeed, national conservative groups are crossing their fingers that the Alabama measure goes down in flames to teach a lesson: Jettison a core element of Republican orthodoxy -- tax cuts -- and you are history.

Core elements of Republican orthodoxy? You mean like fiscal responsibility, smaller government, and keeping the law out of people's personal lives? President Bush jettisoned those before he was even elected placed in power.

Riley has even tried appealing to people's sense of faith. It is the "Bible Belt" after all. Where's all the love?

"According to our Christian ethics, we're supposed to love God, love each other and help take care of the poor," said Mr. Riley, a born-again Baptist. "It is immoral to charge somebody making $5,000 an income tax."

He's also getting his ass handed to him in the polls. The ads have been telling people that the sky is falling and they're buying. I give Riley credit. He tried to make things better and the people who would benefit most, the majority of Alabama citizens, told him to go get bent. Good luck with your next governor.

So that leaves us with tax cuts for the wealthy, errr, I mean just tax cuts. In republican talking points you never favor "the rich" you only favor tax cuts. As a republican you only favor the rich in practice. That way you can always sell people on you platform, which seems to almost never be followed. If the republicans actually did what they always say they want to do, I would switch from D to R in a heartbeat. The problem is follow-through. Republicans just don't have it.

I can't wait to see how "they" explain the blame away from G.W. Bush and his $500 BILLION deficit. Wait...weren't we talking about Alabama?