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The GlennTax travels, part II:
in which we talk about the 'Stache's control issues and why even prominent Republicans are less than thrilled about this idea. Also, we show Elton the love.
Control Issues:
To a lot of folks, the biggest slam on the GlennTax is it's decimation of the concept of local control. If you've followed Georgia politics closely for the past few years (you know who you are ... dork), then you know that the state Republican party created and solidified its hold on the majority in the General Assembly on the issue of local control. The line was essentially, "those big-gummint, tax-n-spend libruls are tryin' to run everthang from up in Atlanta! We [the GOP] recognize your right to run your community how you want to run it."
With all due respect, fellas - horseshit. The GlennTax is a direct, and probably gut-busting, shot to home rule and local control, because it takes the primary revenue stream for cities and counties and throws it in the trash. Instead, your county government is going to have to go to Atlanta, hat in hand, and beg the Stache (aka Speaker Richardson) for money every time you want to buy a fire engine, hire some new first grade teachers, or pick up the latest Jackie Collins pageturner for your local library.
Now, the Stache will tell you that if his nefarious scheme goes through, Athens is guaranteed to get as much money from the gummint next year as they collected in property taxes this year. Fair enough, but what about the year after, and the year after that? And, what if Athens wants to make a big, necessary capital expenditure, say building a new middle school? There's no guarantee that the State will release the funds. In fact, since Athens is represented in the House by two Democrats and one Republican (and let's be honest, Bob Smith only represents a tiny sliver of this town), smart money is on Paulding County getting a new middle school (or fire truck, or whatever) before Athens does.
As long as Republicans are in power, the GlennTax has the additional benefit of being "re-election insurance" for GOP incumbents, because they'll always bring back the bacon. So, it's a pretty sneaky way of getting close to that "permanent majority" about which some Republicans like to fantasize. (When they're not fantasizing about other things.)
Needless to say, a lot of local officials are less than excited about the possibility of going from being elected leaders to elected beggars. Here in ACC, Mayor Heidi Davison is all het up (and good on her!), and Super-Commissioner Elton Dodson, who is not always known for his reticence and tact, was pretty miffed as well. Sez Dodson: "We would lose all local autonomy. ... It's the end of home rule in Georgia. It's the end of local control..." (ABH 08/27/07)
He's right, you know.
GOP to the Stache: Um... not so much, no
But those are just the insane ramblings of a bunch of mixed up libruls. Surely the GOP establishment is standing squarely behind the Stache and his tax pony?
Um... no.
In fact, GOP leaders like Governor Sonny Perdue, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, and Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson are publicly expressing their concerns about the GlennTax. And in a Georgia accustomed to monolithic GOP posturing, even the expression of mild concern is the political equivalent of declaring Glenn Richardson and his little plan dead to them.
Face it, these guys are divorcing themselves from Glenn Richardson and his plan and running the other way as fast as they can.
Even Phil Kent, who is to conservative meme what Britney Spears is to poor fashion choices, expressed some mild disagreement on this morning's "Georgia Circlejerk Gang."
Wrapping it up:
So to sum up, here's what you've got on the Glenn Tax. As we saw in part 1 of our Magical Mystery Tour, you're getting a whole slew of new taxes to make up for one tax, and the Stache would really appreciate it if you didn't notice that you're going to be paying those new taxes so that WalMart gets a tax break. And, if that isn't enough, it's also going to make sure that the Stache gets to dictate what goes on in your community, instead of your duly elected local leaders. Also, no one really likes it, other than Glenn and his cronies.
Join us for the next chapter, wherein we talk about alternatives, politely disagree with Flack and JMac, and make fun of the Stache some more.
[Editor's note: For the love of Girtz! You go away on a quick, year-long vacay, and this is what happens to AthPo? Seriously guys. All righty, let's pick it up.]GlennTax Travels, Part I
In which we explore stalking horses, and how you're helping big-box business get ahead.
So, the editorial board at the ABH thinks Glenn Richardson needs to give it up on his whole "GlennTax," "Tax Pony," "I wanna be your Speaker and your banker" ish. For what it's worth, they're 110% right, but I don't know if I want to see what comes next to replace the GlennTax. Anyway, this gives me a great opportunity to jump in with one of those rambling, half-ass analyses that I know we all enjoy. Buckle in tight, kids, 'cos I got a few things on my mind. So many things in fact, that they can only be thoroughly explored in a multi-part series that will be posted as I feel like it.The Stalking Horse Theory:Some bloggers believe that the 'Stache (that's hipster bloggerspeak for Richardson, if you're keeping score at home) has no intention of passing his plan, and is instead using it as a stalking horse for a much more "reasonable" plan (and by reasonable, I mean less overtly crappy) that he can bring in as a "compromise" measure (and by compromise, I mean that they're going to ram it down your throat the same way they do everything else) later down the road. Some folks think the GlennTax is a placeholder, designed to rile people up enough that Glenn can then pull the plan and replace it with a similar idea proposed by his loyal minion, Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons). Keen's scheme would replace property taxes with an increase in the statewide sales tax. I don't need to tell you that this is a terrible idea, for many of the same reasons that the GlennTax itself is a bad idea. In fact, it's very much the same plan, although it is less ambitious in scope. Of course, being less ambitious in the scope of taxes you're getting rid of means that the numbers fail to add up in an even more egregious fashion.For what it's worth, I'm inclined to think that this theory is at least possible. It's not outside the realm of possibility that the 'Stache and his posse know that Keen's plan is a political turd, and the only way to polish it is by making it stack up favorably against an even bigger, stinkier bill. However, on the other hand, I'm not sure that the Speaker's ego will let him knowingly introduce a straw plan to block for Keen's bill.Wal-Mart to Athens, Thanks for picking up our tax bill!Here's another point that hasn't gotten much air time with respect to the GlennTax. As anyone who's been following this thing knows, if it passes, your property taxes go bye-bye. Sounds great, right? I mean, heck, sign me up! But wait, it's not just your property taxes going away, it's everybody's property taxes going away, and that means mine, Heidi's, JMac's, and - hmmm, oh yeah - every mall, factory, private college, McWendyKing's, car dealership, and every other business in the state of Georgia. And did I mention that bane of progressive suburban existence, Wal-Mart? Y'see, the 'Stache wants to frame this debate around residential property taxes, and he would just as soon nobody think about the fact that (almost) all properties pay property taxes. What that means for you and me is that businesses get an oh-so-sweet tax break, while we get a somewhat less-than-sweet tax break that, depending on your income, consumption, etc, may or may not end up costing you more money. Put another way, we're going to lose the property tax revenue from the new Lowe's, and that money has to be made up somehow. Guess who's going to be making it up? Consumers. And that's why the GlennTax should perhaps be called the "GlennTaxes," because he's making up for that revenue shortfall by introducing a whole host of brand new taxes on everything from the will you get your lawyer to draw up to your haircuts, your tax preparation, the guys who cut your lawn, even your freakin' babysitter. So, while your babysitter is calculating the sales tax you owe her for watching the rugrats while you spent a few hours at Cine, please rejoice in the fact that you are helping Lowe's and Wal-Mart duck their fair share of the tax burden.
Stay tuned for Part II of the GlennTax travels, in which we talk about the 'Stache's control issues and why even prominent Republicans are less than thrilled about this idea. Also, we show Elton the love.
