STOP TAXING US!
Nathan Greene
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When will local and state government get the point that the people of Iowa are sick and tired of increased taxes? Yesterday voters in Des Moines voted down $132 million dollar plan to renovate the Polk County Court House and build a new administration building. A year ago, voters rejected Project Destiny, a property tax scheme that would have benefited companies like Principal Financial, and added a tax burden on homeowners.
The people opposing these tax increases are not just saying enough is enough when it comes to increased taxes, they are also sending a clear message that they don’t trust government.
The casual political observer might think that this growing trend may help Republicans in the fall elections. That very well may be the case, especially in the presidential race where the Democrats have been adamant about repealing the Bush tax cuts. However, closer to home, some of our Republican State Legislators supported a $32 million dollar tax increase when they voted for the statewide SILO tax. When I say some, I guess I mean 17 in the House, and 5 in the Senate. As you can see, it’s not some rouge weak kneed Legislator. It’s a much larger problem than that.
Which leads me to Todd Dorman’s little nugget yesterday that House Minority Leader Christopher Rants is considering a run for Governor. I agree with Dorman that Rants is smart and knows how to operate politically under the golden dome, but I think he lacks the leadership qualities that Iowa will need at this critical time.
Rants, as the minority leader, has seen his members flake on a number of issues, but none more obvious than the 17 who voted for the statewide SILO tax. Not only was it a $32 million tax increase, but it wrestled local control away from taxpayers and voters and gave it to bureaucrats in Des Moines, two things that every Republican should oppose. If he can’t lead the 47 in his caucus how does he expect to lead our state?
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