How many Massachusetts liberals really want to pay higher taxes?

Boston Herald ^ | June 1, 2003 | staff

[Leisler]

Update on As you know by now, the 2002 state income-tax forms allow concerned citizens to opt to pay their taxes at the old, higher 5.85 percent rate, rather than at the new 5.3 percent rate.

Considering that 41 percent of the electorate voted against cutting income taxes in a statewide referendum in 2000, it must be disappointing for liberals to realize that of the 2.1 million returns that have been processed so far, a mere 1,052 citizens have decided to pay their fair share - and more.

That works out to a steady one-20th of 1 percent - one in every 2,000 filers, in other words, who really want to pay higher taxes. Of course, most of those who have decided to pay higher taxes don't pay much anyway. The total added tax amounts to $124,077, which means the good liberals average about $20,000 a year.

[Leisler]

Well, about half the people were honest.

[goldstategop]

Yup.... Massachusetts will eventually repeal the state income tax. Apparently liberals rhetoric about "sacrifice" is belied by their own conduct.

[johniegrad]

This is hiliarious.

I've seen people whose careers are dependent on public money step up and proudly say "Well, you can raise MY taxes". My response is always "Go ahead and donate whatever you want to the government. No one is stopping you from doing that now."

I then have to explain to them, that since they already have the ability to donate their tax cut voluntarily to government, what they really want to for the government to raise MY taxes, not theirs.

[Piquaboy]

Only people that don't pay taxes are against tax cuts.

[goldstategop]

Its always that old saw: "Hey, I don't mind a tax increase as long as its increasing the taxes of the other fellow."

[Drango]

LOL...A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.

[SamAdams76]

Just goes to prove that liberals are always for higher taxes - provided that it is somebody else paying them.

[Mulder]

Yup.... Massachusetts will eventually repeal the state income tax.

They had a ballot initiative last year that would do exactly that.

The initiative was sponsored by a Libertarian, who claimed that polls showed it would get 40% support.

Liberals scoffed at that prediction, as did many on this forum.

Come election day, it didn't get 40%, it got 46%.

So I'm thinking that maybe Massachusetts isn't as left-wing as people think. Perhaps the Freedoms they value the most, they believe the GOP threatens the most.

Or maybe it's just a case of the vote riggers not thinking this initiative important enough to mess with the results. After all, if it passed, they could just overturn it like they did in Kalifornia with the prop that banned money to illegals.

[Madame Dufarge]

I had a very heated argument at a town meeting in Yarmouth on Cape Cod with a "educator" in the local school system. She was one of a large group of like-minded edu-leeches who actually arrived on buses to vote for property tax increases so that they could get raises.

She announced that since she didn't mind paying more taxes on her house that was assessed at $350,000, everyone else should willingly chip in, too. I told her that since she was so eager to pay taxes, she could pick up my increase too.

Her face actually turned bright red and she started screaming at me about "the children." Her fellow thieves dragged her off before she could blow their heist.

[bimbo]

... to vote for property tax increases so that they could get raises.

That is exactly the problem.

[Patriotic Bostonian]

The liberals in MA are not really the problem. Our biggest problem is with ignorant Democrats the majority of them being Irish Catholic. They have no idea what their voting for, most just can't imagine voting for a Republican after years of brainwashing. Fortunately, the old ones are dying off and young people aren't buying the liberal Bulls**t. I'm 63 years old of Italian and Irish descent. I know of what I speak.

[Madame Dufarge]

That is exactly the problem.

Did I mention that the police and fire departments were also voting on their pay increases that night?

At least they didn't arrive in buses.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

>> Massachusetts will eventually repeal the state income tax.

Massachusetts has elected Republican governors in the past four elections. The Massachuset are a fiscally conservative, socially liberal tribe. (Massachusetts is middle of the pack in terms of state government spending as a percent of income, far behind NY, MD...) Democratic dominance dates from JFK, who was Bill Clinton without the (publized) baggage. In the last election *47* % of the electorate voted to ABOLISH the state income tax, by far the chief source of state income. This was a shot across the bow of the predominately Democratic legislature and they got the message. No one is talking of taxes as a way of alleviating the budget short fall.

[Betty Jane]

Fortunately, the old ones are dying off and young people aren't buying the liberal Bulls**t.

This is what is happening demographically across the country. The WWII generation is/was much more liberal than the Silent generation that is replacing them as the next elderly generation.

Furthermore, kids coming of age today are more conservative, too. Dems are feeling the pinch from both sides of the age spectrum. Too bad for them, not all the baby boomers weren't raving liberal radicals.

[breninma]

I can't say what's happening in the rest of MA, but righ here in my own family the change is breathtaking. My 74 year old mother who never voted for a Republican in her life is now a REGISTERED REPUBLICAN! At my birthday dinner two nights ago my formerly liberal sister declared that she will now be voting a straight Republican ticket in every election (I nearly choked to death on my birthday cake) This may be just one MA family, but I sure there are many more of us out there waking up and making a change.

[Leisler]

Democrat voters. Government workers. Lawyers. Unions. Elderly. Low productivity workers.

[Little Bill]

A Globe poll shortly before the election showed 28% support for the elemination of the tax.

[Betty Jane]

Happy Birthday. Congratulations on the conversion in your family. My family was always Republican, I was the rebel. I voted for Mondale, Dukakis and Perot before coming to my senses.

[Patriotic Bostonian]

I definitely see many in MA changing their party. I advise the ones that are still hesitant (even after they know the facts) to register as Independents. I meet a lot of blue collar workers in their late 40's at my grandsons ball games. I am amazed at how many of them bring up 911 and the Iraq war. A number of these great guys also say that they never really paid attention before, but boy they are paying attention now. And, they love President Bush!

[Leisler]

Well, the Globe only polls in Cambridge, Wellesley, Brookline and Newton. What do you expect?