Who wants to pay more taxes, I know I don’t. So why didn’t I sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge from Grover Norquist and his followers? To start with just because I do not like paying taxes does not mean that I do not understand their need. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.” Sometimes we forget that our great country and state are the result in large part of the taxes we pay, and paid by those before us. Many people think of taxes as an arbitrary penalty imposed by government, but look around you at the roads, schools, police stations, firehouses, etc. that were paid for with taxes. How many of us could live in Carver County without the road system to take us to our jobs. How many families would want to live here if our schools were sub par.
If our political leaders had decided 50 years ago on a strategy of “No New Taxes”, what would our highways be like today? Would our schools be something to be proud of or an embarrassment? Would Minnesota be an economic leader in this country or a Mississippi of the north? Besides the economic and quality of life impacts of no new taxes, there is the issue of public safety and protection of property. Today in Minnesota there are many communities that have made cuts to police and fire protection because of cuts to Local Government Aid from the State. This does not even include ignoring safety issues on our highways. Today these safety issues are not dealt with until after there are fatalities. I would be ashamed as someone running for office to sign a No New Tax pledge that might put people’s health and safety in jeopardy.
If our political leaders had decided 50 years ago on a strategy of “No New Taxes”, what would our highways be like today? Would our schools be something to be proud of or an embarrassment? Would Minnesota be an economic leader in this country or a Mississippi of the north? Besides the economic and quality of life impacts of no new taxes, there is the issue of public safety and protection of property. Today in Minnesota there are many communities that have made cuts to police and fire protection because of cuts to Local Government Aid from the State. This does not even include ignoring safety issues on our highways. Today these safety issues are not dealt with until after there are fatalities. I would be ashamed as someone running for office to sign a No New Tax pledge that might put people’s health and safety in jeopardy.
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