May 19, 2007

"Raising Taxes With State Awash in Revenue is Disgraceful."

Frank Cagle is right. Raising taxes at a time of record state tax revenue is a disgrace, and fiscally irresponsible. Yet some Republicans in the state legislature are actually working actively to help Gov. Bredesen and his Democratic allies to do just that - and to pad the state budget with pork and exceed the state constitution's cap on the year-over-year growth of state spending by tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars.

Even though they nominally control the state Senate, Republicans do not have the votes to stop Gov. Phil Bredesen and his Democratic allies from raising taxes, unless Republicans stand united against the tax increase and at least one Democrat joins them. Not gonna happen. But voting for a tax increase, even one that's lower than the governor is seeking, at a time when Tennessee state government is flooded with surplus revenue, is political insanity for Republicans, who are supposed to be the party of limited government and low taxes.

Any Republican who votes for a tax increase at a time of record revenue surpluses deserves to face a primary challenger in 2008.