Give it a break, guys. The
we-can’t-spend-money-we-don’t-
The GOP talking point was embellished by House Public Health
Committee Chairman Sam Mills:
“What I always tell
my children, gentlemen, is that we can’t print money,” Mims said. “Often I
look outside in my backyard, and I say, ‘Do you see a money tree?’ And I don’t
see a money tree. … So tell them we’re doing the best we can with the
budget we have today.”
Well, of course there is
no money tree, because the Legislature, under GOP leadership, has been impulsively whacking
mature money trees and not planting new ones.
"More than 40 tax
cuts lawmakers have passed over the last five years," the Clarion-Ledger
reported, "for next year will reduce state revenue by more than $350
million."
"Tax collections
have been lagging for two years, thanks to tax cuts and a barely growing state
economy,” reported the Associated Press.
Starting next fiscal year,
another $415 million in tax cuts will begin phasing in, whacking even more
money trees.
Meanwhile, efforts to
plant new money trees have been blocked.
Gov. Phil Bryant
encouraged legislators to consider a state lottery that could generate $100 million
in new money.
House Speaker Philip
Gunn blocked that money tree.
The Speaker pushed to
collect taxes on Internet sales that could add $60 to $100 million in new
revenues.
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves
blocked that money tree.
The Tax Foundation
expert Gunn and Reeves brought in to help revamp the state's tax structure said
gas taxes should be increased to pay for needed road and bridge repairs.
But, both Gunn and
Reeves blocked that money tree.
They also ignored a call
by House Conservative Coalition President Becky Currie to delay the upcoming
tax cuts.
The combination of
widespread tax cuts, minimal economic growth, and no new revenue sources has
resulted in four mid-year budget cuts by Gov. Phil Bryant this year, following
two last year, deep draws on the state's rainy day fund, and a miserable budget
outlook for the coming year.
"This is deliberate
wreckage we have brought on ourselves," said Democratic Sen. David Blount,
pinning the tail on the Republicans' we-can’t-spend-money-we-don’t-
"I have never seen
it this bad," said House Appropriations Chairman John Read.
It got worse.
The House and Senate
have been killing each other's bills. During the last days of the session
things came to a head over the bond bill, Internet taxes, and transportation
funding. The House put voluntary Internet tax collections into the bond bill to
help fund road and bridge repairs. Reeves, then, killed the bond bill. In
response, Gunn got the House to kill the Department of Transportation
appropriation bill.
Reeves, then, accused
House members of lying.
Appropriately, both
houses adjourned without resolving differences, making a special session needed
to finish their business.
Descending from false-hearted statements to falsehoods is a needless fiasco for our GOP
leaders, just like their budget and this legislative session.
Crawford is a syndicated
columnist from Meridian (crawfolk@gmail.com)
17 comments:
The folly of Crawford's (and other similar laments from opinionists) is that somehow government was right-sized before the cuts and revenues went south.
Well, bullshit.
This budget doesn't rightsize anything, just starves the good with the bad.
This isn't opinion. This is fact. We know it's fact by merely looking at other states that have tried this. Not to mention the nation as a whole. Trickle down economics doesn't work. At least not for the non top 1%. Kansas and Louisiana are prime examples. Why, other than enriching themselves and their johns, they keep doing this, I don't know. We have people who've never done anything in the private world trying to make government run like a private business. Yet, they have no idea how, because they've never been in the private sector, or they were miserable failures in it. Mims has never done anything in the private sector. His bio lists him being chair of his local Republican committees as experience. Bryant has never had a paycheck that didn't have County, City or State of on the front of it. Reeves, other than some vague mention of a couple of years in banking, has no private experience. Gibson is a lawyer who works in banking and finance regulation, again, no real world experience. Read is a pharmacist, but at a locally owned pharmacy, or a chain? I have to assume a chain. Gunn is another big firm lawyer, but at least has accidentally maybe seen a real person in doing general insurance defense litigation, but again, someone who doesn't have to worry about bills or overhead in their professional life. Is there not a single business person in a position of leadership? Someone who has actually run a business? Hob Bryan is also a lawyer, but appears to be a solo practitioner. While that may not be running a small business by the truest since of the word, you are responsible for your own overhead and making a living. Maybe that's why he seems to have more sense than the rest.
It's too soon to tell if the tax cuts will accomplish what they were intended to do -- which was always, only, and ever to get Tate Reeves elected Governor. Sound fiscal policy had nothing to do with it.
Thanks for eliminating Jim Hood from consideration @1:02 because like Obama he's got zero experience beyond, in Hood's case, running a law shop that farms everything out.
I will give Hood credit though for having slightly, ever so, more experience than Obama.
In 2019 the voters will elect Tate so we will have 8 more years of this to look forward to.
If they cut their salaries and benefits by the same percentage that they cut taxes, the House and Senate would seem more honest.
What tax cuts are really about for politicians is getting more " donations" from the wealthy supporters by giving them more disposable income . Norquist has become quite wealthy for someone without a job that contributes nothing to the economy.
Worse, our taxes are actually going up on every purchase we make and at the local level. Check out the taxes on your bills. There's even an " energy tax" on bottled water now. Amazon is taxing you now.
And, then the interest rate going up is going to increase the cost of debt.
The wealthy can write many of the local and purchase taxes off. You can't. They don't have personal debt, you do.
It's the math. In the end, economics is about math.
@ 1:19pm
"It's too soon to tell if the tax cuts will accomplish what they were intended to do -- which was always, only, and ever to get Tate Reeves elected Governor. Sound fiscal policy had nothing to do with it."
Well the short term results are brutal, because state agencies are having to make cuts, when they've been making cuts since Phil Bryant has become governor.
To sit up here and say the are "right sizing" government, is bullsh*t - especially when the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, is pushing for measures to add more oversight to agencies that have departments and/or divisions that already handle those auditing duties. No, what they are attempting to do is privatize the services many state agencies provide, without citizens having any input. They are still going to collect tax revenues, but they are going to channel them to wealthy private campaign donors - that have private companies who can execute these so-called services at "cost" - when in actuality they are simply cutting corners, paying less people to do the work, and simply maklng a profit - instead of looking out for the publics best interest.
Mississippian's bought this lemon and barely put any miles on it - its only going to get worse from here - BOOK IT!
The state's government is way too big. Ignore the liberal teeth-gnashing and keep on cutting. The taxpayers want our money back.
1024 pm Do tell us how much money you've gotten back. And, tell us how you stimulated the economy. How many new jobs did you create to make up for state jobs lost?
@ 10:24pm
You are that same joker that wears a mullet and has a scorpion tattoo and talks about how much safer Rankin County is over Jackson! You are troglodyte pizzle that keeps electing the same sorry legislators who profit off of your ignorance!
@ 6:46am - well said!
646, while I try to stop crying for all the bureaucrats who have had to tighten up their work ethic, please tell me how many state workers have lost their job. This year, or just so you can use the fingers on both hands to help you count, the last five years. Other than normal retirements, and those that leave on their on decision to go into the private sector after getting their internship working for the gubmint, I want to know the actual loss of jobs from stopping the growth in government these past couple of years.
10:24 - in case you do not know - "ignorant" means to be without knowledge.
You are without knowledge of the facts and without knowledge of the real effects of this administration's ongoing agenda to enrich themselves and their friends to the detriment of the working tax payers of the state.
they don’t love anything more than unbridled capitalism, their own personal enrichment, their rising stock portfolios and profits for their enterprises and big campaign donors.
I work remotely from the good ole state of Sippi. Let me tell you - if you thought this great state could not find anymore ways to embarrass you, they continue to outdo themselves. I have a very specialized skill set. I am fortunate, but I have worked hard for everything I have. In as much I've had the opportunity to work for small IT startups headquartered in different parts of the globe. It never fails that when I move companies I end up missing my first "paycheck" because it takes FOREVER to get the proper tax ID from the dept. of revenue. You're stuck on stupid with snail mail/phone E.T. if you don't have a physical business address or aren't registered to do business through the SOS's office. Before you start yapping that every business should be registered in the state - you're wrong. I literally just live here. No business is transacted in this state by my company. The upside is: the state does nothing but collect the highest personal income tax rate alllowable annually from me. They've done nothing to "lure" this company here or provide added tax breaks or credits for them to employ me. I have attracted their attention and the state reaps the benefits.
Side note: the ROI on taxes paid to this state is absolutely atrocious. How could any elected official be proud of the job they've been doing?
Back to my original commentary. Is it not enough for the state to be grateful they have someone with a six figure salary to tax. No. Not happening. The state is diving, dialing, auditing, and snail mailing for dollars right now. They are desperate. Desperate. They have harassed my new employer for months now. They've had to fill out stacks of paperwork and answer numerous calls to prove they don't have a physical location and don't have to pay state sales tax on orders because nobody in this damn state has a need for what they sell. It's beyond embarrassing. Why would any business want to open a physical location or do business in this state after this level of harassment? I work with people from all over the world. All over the country. The mistreatment, and bogus attempts to collect revenue that doesn't exist by Mississippi's DOR stands out heads and tails above the rest of the freaking civilized world!
This state's revenue bullshit is giving it another black eye. Why would anyone recommend a business locate here? I couldn't in good conscience. And I'm a native. Embarrassed native. Because it's clear, if your business isn't paying the pigs at the trough for protection and friend's and family tax cuts - you are screwed. Mississippi is last in lots of things that matter because it chooses to be. It won't take another legislative for the everyday people paying the state's bills to figure out this stuff is rigged. I'm afraid we are in for a rough ride for a long time. Especially with the possibility of the Jimmy Swaggart of the state Republican Party, Tater, at the helm. Because his sins are a plenty.
Hob Bryan? Why is he even mentioned? If you think that Lilliputian has walking around sense, listen to him implode some day on Gallo. He's a shrill, arrogant little hick from nowheresville with the attitude of a democrat who has been refused a cake at the bakery.
He's a shrill, arrogant little hick from nowheresville with the attitude of a democrat who has been refused a cake at the bakery.
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