5-13-90 . . . Americans have a phobia about taxes, especially income taxes. George [Herbert Walker] Bush was elected president in 1988 on a campaign pledge not to raise taxes or impose new taxes. His ringing phrase “Read my lips: no new taxes!” captured the fancy of voters everywhere. Here in Texas, Governor William Clements vows to veto any bill that calls for an increased sales tax, whatever the need for such a tax. God forbid that the legislature should propose a state income tax! Texans would not stand for it. Texas must be one of the few remaining states without an income tax (even conservative Arizona has one). If necessary services were being provided by the state, the present situation would be tolerable. But public education is in peril. Per capita spending on education in Texas is among the nation’s lowest. Prisons are overcrowded; mental-health services are few and far between; and teachers at all levels are underpaid and overworked. In light of this, Clements’s vow to veto a tax increase is irresponsible. The same is true of George Bush. If there’s one thing a politician must not do, it is rule out possibilities. Who can say what the future holds? A tax increase may be the lesser of two evils, in which case it would be morally impermissible to oppose it. That’s why it’s so sweet to see President Bush backtracking on the issue of taxes. There is talk among Washington insiders that Bush will have to accept increased taxes in order to balance the budget. As I write these words, Congressional leaders and White House aides are hammering out the next year’s budget. I wonder what conservative America will think of good ole George if he retracts his pledge. Perhaps it’ll teach politicians to refrain from demagoguery. [There is still no income tax in Texas, and I love it.] 5-13-90 . . . Americans have a phobia about taxes, especially income taxes. George [Herbert Walker] Bush was elected president in 1988 on a campaign pledge not to raise taxes or impose new taxes. His ringing phrase “Read my lips: no new taxes!” captured the fancy of voters everywhere. Here in Texas, Governor William Clements vows to veto any bill that calls for an increased sales tax, whatever the need for such a tax. God forbid that the legislature should propose a state income tax! Texans would not stand for it. Texas must be one of the few remaining states without an income tax (even conservative Arizona has one). If necessary services were being provided by the state, the present situation would be tolerable. But public education is in peril. Per capita spending on education in Texas is among the nation’s lowest. Prisons are overcrowded; mental-health services are few and far between; and teachers at all levels are underpaid and overworked. In light of this, Clements’s vow to veto a tax increase is irresponsible. The same is true of George Bush. If there’s one thing a politician must not do, it is rule out possibilities. Who can say what the future holds? A tax increase may be the lesser of two evils, in which case it would be morally impermissible to oppose it. That’s why it’s so sweet to see President Bush backtracking on the issue of taxes. There is talk among Washington insiders that Bush will have to accept increased taxes in order to balance the budget. As I write these words, Congressional leaders and White House aides are hammering out the next year’s budget. I wonder what conservative America will think of good ole George if he retracts his pledge. Perhaps it’ll teach politicians to refrain from demagoguery. [There is still no income tax in Texas, and I love it.]Twenty Years Ago
–––––––
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 