"No new taxes" has become a mantra for many Republican politicians and they have carried out their pledge. However, the result has been that as costs go up many public services and facilities are not being maintained at an appropriate level.
The latest dodge around this is the proposed Minnesota Constitutional amendment to provide a formula to allocate money for roads and transit. The state legislature has been using automobile taxes for other things for years, and rather than raise taxes in other areas, they are using this gimmick to "raise" more money for roads and transit. That is, using the Constitution to do what they should have done politically.
Many who defend "no new taxes" say that government should live within its means, often comparing a government budget to a household budget on a fixed income. Many, including some of the "within its means" people, say government should be run like a business. If this is so, then, like businesses, government should raise prices to meet increased costs, including for the cost of new features that the public wants.
I hope we can have some politicians who are courageous enough to say, "The question is not whether taxes are too high or too low, but are taxes at the appropriate level for the services that people want."
