A DEBATE WORTH HAVING, SO WE WON'T

With Interest: Why Democrats should campaign against the tax cut by appealing to Americans' self-interest (Michael Tomasky, 6/25/03, American Prospect)

[T]he question comes down to this: Is there a point at which tax cuts work against regular Americans' self-interest? I think there is, and it can be articulated in two ways.

The first has to do with the hideous situation in the states. Virtually every state in the union is raising income or property taxes, cutting services to middle-income people, charging fees for things that were once free, and raising fees on things that were once cheap. They're doing this for the obvious reason that they're getting no help from the feds; and they're getting no help from the feds because the feds don't have any money because the feds keep passing tax cuts. In Connecticut, for example, conservative Gov. John Rowland (R) has been pushing $250 million in spending cuts -- and has just agreed to $250 million in tax increases (actually, a rollback of a local property-tax credit).

That's on top of the $650 million in tax increases agreed to in a February deficit-reduction plan. And even after all that, the state is left with a $300 million gap.

Connecticut is closer to the rule than the exception. An argument that the federal tax cuts are just forcing tax hikes on the other end is one that will make intuitive sense to people. It can put the White House on the defensive. And it appeals to Americans' self-interest: It explains to them that in exchange for their $400, they're getting hosed in other ways that probably add up to the same thing.

The second line of attack on the tax cuts will take more courage and imagination. It has to do with Democrats having the gumption to defend government.

These are exactly the grounds on which the election should be played out. The two basic questions are: (1) should tax and spending decisions be made at the local level or in Washington; and (2) should you or the government determine how your education, retirement, health care, and unemployment insurance taxes are spent. Mr. Tomasky understands little about Americans if he thinks they'll answer those two questions in favor of the Democratic Party in Washington, DC. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 27, 2003 7:17 PM