The end is upon us — join the celebration!

by Chip Ford, July 21st, 2008 at 08:12pm

The end is here.  The Legislature and governor are now confronted with the inevitable stark reality, on their watch:  The dissolution of state government. Due to their malfeasance and decades of incompetence, mismanagement, and arrogant overspending year after year that preceded them, the situation has reached critical mass.  The state is imploding under the weight of overspending and debt.  The preferred method, taxing their way out of self-imposed fiscal crisis after crisis, is virtually off the table this time.  The public mood is angry.  Very angry.  Across the board, in every demographic.  By huge margins.  [See the WBZ/Survey USA poll results]

With Question One, outright repeal of the income tax, hanging over their collective head like Damocles’ sword, the pols dare not make the wrong move — and they know it.  As the Eagle-Tribune editorial  [Jul. 20 - Big Dig debt means state must say 'No' to other plans] reiterates, the Patrick administration “insists new taxes or tolls are off the table right now.”  You bet they are, “right now.”  If Question One should fail, it won’t be “right now” any longer — it’ll be back to “Party time!” and business-as-usual with the pols for as long as they can get away with it.  That’ll require a massive tax increase quickly, to stretch the gravy train ride a bit longer.

This governor and this Legislature are the last ones standing in the game of political musical chairs — the losers.  There was always going to be some administration and some Legislature left holding the bag for decades of refusing to address the critically mounting crisis of overspending, and these are the ones it falls on.  The bill they’ve run up is due, and taxpayers are about to cut up the Beacon Hill credit card.

The end is here.  This was always the only way it could end, the only way it would.  For decades, if our money was available they spent it; if they didn’t take enough from us they simply took more under any guise or pretense.  With the foxes guarding the hen house, making the self-serving election rules and legislating obscene incumbent advantages, they virtually insured their permanent seats on Beacon Hill for as long as they wanted them — until a better, richer-paying opportunity opened in the public sector.  They lived and “performed” for their fat pensions and retirement benefits when the game was over for them.

It’s over now.  Passage of Question One assures that.  Oh sure, they might exert one last futile act of desperation and ignore the repeal to keep the gravy train from running off the tracks, but the public at last has had enough.  This won’t end with citizen apathy this time — each voter’s personal situation financially will see to that.  Just think, as voters go to the polls in November they’ll also be confronted by the winter season’s first home heating bills, expected to double over last year’s.  They’ll be in no mood for being suckered again to keep the carefree Beacon Hill fat cat lifestyle rolling.  It’ll get ugly this time — real ugly.  Political career-ending ugly.

Legislators know this too, for “right now.”  Join us in celebrating The End of State Government As We Know It.  Be part of bringing down this multi-tiered system of corruption, this long-evolved culture of cronyism, of government of, by, and for the insiders.  Vote YES on Question 1 and repeal the income tax — and vote against every tax-borrow-and-spend incumbent on the ballot who brought us to this point and the state to its knees.

Tags: fiscal crisis, income tax, Question 1, Question One, state budget

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized

Similar Posts

• None Found