SWEET SILVER LININGS TO OUR BALLOT INITIATIVE

The following email was sent to me by Small Government News. When reading the story below keep in mind that the 7,258,816 million dollars is tax money from homeowners that was sent to schools used to educate our children. But instead it ends up in union hands to be used against the taxpayer.

Cathy


Small Government News*
Thursday, November 13, 2008

Publisher: Carla Howell
Editor: Michael Cloud

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SWEET SILVER LININGS TO OUR BALLOT INITIATIVE
TO END THE MASSACHUSETTS INCOME TAX
By Michael Cloud
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Teachers Unions and their allies spent $7,268,816* to defeat our Ballot Question 1 to END the state income tax.

They won the vote.

That’s supposed to be the end of the story.

But it’s not. The Teachers Unions and their tax-profiteering allies have already gotten more than they bargained for.

Teachers Unions and their allies have incurred huge costs – immediate and long-term - from their campaign against ENDing the state income tax.

Taxpayers have lost nothing and gained much from the Teachers Unions’ NO on 1 campaign.

Massachusetts state income taxes are the same today as they were the day before the vote. Taxpayers didn’t lose a dime. Government didn’t gain a dime.

Taxpayers are no worse off than before the vote. Teachers Unions and their tax-benefiting allies are no better off.

The $7,268,816 we forced the Teachers Unions to spend to keep the state income tax is $7,268,816 they could NOT spend elsewhere to raise property taxes and other taxes.**

This year, the Massachusetts state legislature and Governor postponed government spending increases, announced spending cuts – and did NOT increase taxes. Our Ballot Initiative and our campaign for it are a key reason why.

The Teachers Unions regularly and repeatedly campaigned against ENDing the income tax on the grounds that it would raise property taxes. So did their allies. So did newspaper articles and editorials.

Hundreds and hundreds of advertisements by the Teachers Unions claimed:“YES on Question 1 = Raising Property Taxes.”

These ads aroused and reinforced opposition to raising property taxes.

The Teachers Unions campaign against our tax cut just might stop their 2009 campaigns for property tax increases.

Unintended consequences. Sweet silver linings.

***

* As of 11-1-08 Campaign Report.

** See Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt or “What is Seen and What is Not Seen (The Broken Window Fallacy)” by Frederic Bastiat.