Right-wing barometer Instapundit has noticed The Dumb Idea, and unsurprisingly comments most favorably. The Tennessee native apparently thinks that if Jeff Jacoby is on board, then clearly it's just snowballing all over the Commonwealth. Nice data point, there. Insty links the words “gathering some steam” to an opinion piece a.) in a Connecticut newspaper, and b.) cautions voters that there would be chaotic results, and to “be careful what they ask for.” That's not quite calling it a Dumb Idea, but it's close.
Meanwhile, as heard on 'BUR this morning, noted crackpot Grover Norquist is also dreaming of shrinking the Commonwealth so he can drown it in the bathtub. Norquist is originally from Weston; I can only speculate as to what he thinks of his old neighbors to wish something like this on them.
How about all this out-of-state interest in screwing over Massachusetts! They must be jealous of the Sox, Pats, and Celts, huh?
Let's put this in perspective: The state is going to have to make massive cuts in services anyway, due to the downturn. We're going to lose teachers, cops, and firefighters; we're going to have to forego any number of things. It's pretty dire without the help of the ballot issue. But cutting $11 billion from the budget would be a self-imposed disaster — putting the gun to our own heads and pulling the trigger. (For an object lesson, see what happened to California public schools after their tax revolt: They went from being some of the best in the nation, to being ranked 48th.)
For those of us who actually live here, who send our kids to the schools, whose parents live in the elderly homes, and who drive on the roads … let's act in our own interests.
(Thanks to votenoquestion1.com for the updated image.)
In 1978 I was a twenty-something garage/punk musician living in San Francisco, and within a few months of each other, the city experienced the murder of Mayor Moscone and Harvey Milk, the People’s Temple (Jonestown) massacre, and the passing of Prop. 13. Together these events marked an unmistakable downturn in the quality of life that continued for at least a decade. Eventually it drove me to Massachusetts with an everlasting antipathy for people like Howard Jarvis and Carla Howell.
Or they hate us for our freedoms.
If the tax removal wins and citizens have to pay increased fees and taxes to get the services they want, what are towns going to do when the time comes to increase property taxes and they bump into Prop 2 1/2 limits? How successful are the override votes going to be? Sure, they say voters will have all that income tax savings in their pockets, but it won’t be that much, and fuel and food increases will eat that up. Think about the override vote campaigns we’ve seen the past couple of years? It’s going to be mayhem. Vote NO on Question One.
For FY08, the DoR reported a total municipal tax levy of about $10.9B and an override capacity of $13.9B. We won’t be bumping the limits of Prop 2 1/2 for quite some time.
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p>In 2005, Westford voted down an override of approximately $4M. Proponents said the average homeowner would see an increase in their property taxes of about $500.
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p>According to the figures on the Q1 opponents website, Westford would need to fill a gap of $12M if local aid were cut. So, the average increase to the taxpayer, via an override, would be about $1,500.
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p>Just to keep the numbers simple, by not paying 5% income tax, you’d need to be making about $30,000/yr to “break even.” In Westford, the average income far exceeds that, and we have property tax abatements available for eligible residents.
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p>In other communities, the savings in income tax might not so easily offset an increase in property taxes (should an override pass). The legislature would then have the choice of providing more aid to those communities. You could get sort of a progressive tax system in that way.
The override capacity may be high in wealthy communities, but not so in poorer communities.
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p>If real estate values drop by 25% four communities will hit the ceiling — they are that close. Mostly in Western MA, where values don’t come close to rivaling eastern MA.
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p>Springfield and Holyoke are taxing at 78% of the ceiling, West Springfield is 77%, Pittsfield is 71%. Other smaller towns like Heath, Monroe, and Wendell are right there in the mix.
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p>I would hope that if this happens, the legislature would vote to allow communities to exceed the ceiling or will revise aid formulas. The whole concept of a ceiling is a little foolish — if property values drop, this doesn’t mean the community should spend less. Often it works in the inverse — lower property values drives higher spending.
I live in a Barney fife town and we have a volunteer fire department that functions very nicely. I sent my kids to parochial school, but cheerfully paid my taxes—no complaints. Why? Because I had a voice in how my local tax dollars are spent.On the state level—-our representatives treat us with contempt and loathing while they gleefully spend our money on “special interests”, their pals, and family. It seems that tyoically the strongest politicians with the most clout and the most powerful “special interests ” are in the Metropolitan boston area, Therese Murray being the exception (at least for now). Any wonder why the taxpayers are almost in full revolt? Anyone familiar with Shay’s rebellion?
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p>I remember during the Vietnam era: We had to destroy the village to save it. The irony is poignant. Perhaps we will have to destroy this state to save it.
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p>The state od California legislature refuses to balance the budget. They will be asking the US taxpayers to pick up the last 8 billion they refuse to cut or fund. Soooooo—-I as a Massachusetts resident will be asked to fund California’s fiscal irresponsibility and Massachusetts is standing right behind CA in the beggars line? Someone is wondering why the remainder of the country may be pissed off? Really?
I was observing the discussion on RedMassGroup. What struck me is that although everyone wants to cut something, no one can agree on what to cut. One person said “cut the football team and stop buying land”. Someone else said “wait, I want the football team, but I agree with not buying land”.
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p>That is democracy in action.
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p>This proposal hopes to do an end-run around democracy. It is truly a proposal to damage the very idea of government.
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p>If enough people really wanted to eliminate spending on conservation land, a majority of people would elect their representatives to vote to cut it. Likewise, if only 20% of the population wants to eliminate the football team, then sorry, your view is not in the majority, you lose.
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p>There are two natural dampers on the state budget — one is the fact that it has to be balanced every year. The other is that taxes cannot be raised to infinity, because if they are raised high enough people will vote their representatives out of office.
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p>When given enough information, people tend to act rationally. The supporters are trying to whip people into a frenzy to get them to act irrationally. Why? Because they don’t care about the people, they just want to damage government.
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p>Let the people decide what they want to fund via their representatives. There will always be conflicting priorities, particularly in a large and diverse state. That is their job, to work those differences out among themselves.
Of the people reccommended to our democratic/communistic state legislature that they cut our income tax level to 5%. The legislature laughed in our faces. Semator “Dick”
(he is one) actually suggested an increase to 6%. YES ON ONE!
The legislature voted to reduce the tax from 5.6% to 5.3%. They then balked at reducing it to 5.0% later on, based on the premise that economic times were very different from when the question passed.
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p>Apparently the voters were no so concerned about this refusal to continue the rollback — not too many legislators who voted to keep the rate at 5.3% were voted out of office.
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p>Come to think of it, didn’t even Mitt Romney hold off on pushing the rollback?
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p>This begs the question: are laws by petition only revocable by another petition? Or can the legislation revoke them at any time?
What’s this I-have-no-voice-at-the-state-level nonsense? What are the records of your Rep. and Senator? If you don’t like it, vote for the opponent; if there is no opponent run yourself next time. Either way, your constant griping and bitter tone doesn’t impress me.
Look at Wilkerson—they cut her off at the knees—not that it was not richly deserved. Politicians who do not kiss the ring are threatened with a challenger and they cave. Why—-? Because they want the job for life. Being a hack politician is a great second job and easy money. If the MA legislature was compensated like CowHamshires you couldn’t give the job away—well perhaps the suffolk county crowd could use it to extort contractors.
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p>This state has been infamous for being crooked. Masachusetts and Louisiana—–neck a neck in corruption.
Speaking of which—what is Coakley running for? She’s out walking around cranberry bogs with waders on. Who’s she trying to impress? Half the folks working in the bogs are illegal aliens.—–
Wilkerson was endorsed by every major political figure in the state and in the city, plus every major union, and every major progressive endorsing organization.
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p>The only people who cut her off at the knees were the actual voters. Crazy, huh?
SCARE TACTIC! SCARE TACTIC! SCARE TACTIC! I expected better from you people. Of course other taxes and fees are going to increase. Our democratic/communistic state legislature will probably invent some new ones. We all kbnow the 3 things you can’t gut with out a fuss. Public safety, education, and the elderly.
The one point I really want to hit on is nursing homes. Medicare paid $356 a day for my summer in one. Not Massachusetts.
Yes I’m voting yes on question 1. And I encourage every pissed off voter who is sick of the state government laughing at us for the last several years to join me. What are we going to do about your excessive spending? Cut your allowance!
Billxi, I didn’t think you could beat “No on 1 Because UMass raise their parking rates”, but “No on 1 Because I Imagine People Are Laughing At Me” is pretty good, too.
That was just an example. But I’m gald you laugh. Our lesslators won’t be laughing when it passes.
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p>They don’t call him Instahack for nothin’.