Thursday, October 23, 2008

Vote No on Question 1

Vote No on Question 1 in Massachusetts
This post is for everyone living in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Everyone else can take time off from reading Soccer Mom in Denial.

Everyone in Massachusetts please, please, PLEASE consider voting No on Question 1. Even with so much happening around us – ongoing foreclosures, global market meltdown, state budget cuts – this ballot measure could have dire consequences for the health of our communities. Question 1 would repeal the Massachusetts income tax and decimate government functions. I strongly oppose Question 1.

There is a terrific tool available on VoteNoQuestion1.com to assess what the impact would be on your city or town. For example, my town will lose over $8.6 MILLION in school funding alone. That is 77 PERCENT of the total school budget. Or, more literally, $3 OUT OF EVERY $4 for my children's schools comes from the state.

My town also gets $3.3 million in general state aid. That is money for police officers, town librarians, road repairs and ambulances. The capital city would lose over $157 million in school funding alone if this awful ballot initiative passes. Folks in Massachusetts please go to the map, click your city or town and find out what the consequences would be if the state income tax were repealed.

Even conservative fiscal watchdog group the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation released a report assessing the impact of repeal on state programs and on the taxpayers themselves. There is also a game that lets you decide how you want to cut 40 percent of the state budget. Please, play the game and tell me how you plan to cut $2 out of $5 from the state budget. I ask you to try and leave health care, education and public safety alone.

Supporters of Question 1 assert that “the average taxpayer” would save $3,700 annually if the income tax is repealed. However, when incomes are analyzed more closely in the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation report, the 65% of the Commonwealth’s residents that make $50,000 per year or less would “save” an average of $850 while the 14% of the Commonwealth’s residents that make in excess of $100,000 per year would keep the vast majority of dollars that would have otherwise supported state and local services.

Let me repeat that fact:

The 14% of the Commonwealth’s residents that make in excess of $100,000 a year would keep the vast majority of dollars that would have otherwise supported state and local services. Those are the folks who need this money the least.

I strongly oppose repealing the income tax, not only because it will hurt my town and my children's school, but especially because it will disproportionate impact low and moderate income households. I am deeply concerned by recent polls that show nearly 40% of voters support this repeal. I am in the process of getting the lawn signs outside my house. I'm wearing a button on my coat and plan on holding signs outside the polls on Election Day. I am bringing it up with other parents and elected officials.

Now is not the time to decimate government programs to save $800. Now is the time to support each other and paying taxes is one way to do just that.

Vote No on Question 1.

6 comments:

Goofball said...

oh well ok then, thanks for giving me some time off. I do need some time off.

I hope your post reaches a lot of MA residents though! Good luck.

Goofball said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Alex Elliot said...

I absolutely agree. Out of curiosity, do you know anyone who is going to vote yes? I haven't seen any signs for it or anything. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining!

soccer mom in denial said...

Funny you should ask - every Friday morning one of the other moms and I have our weekly political talk and we started talking about Question 1. SHE (note not me) loudly exclaimed "What BONEHEAD would vote FOR Question 1!?!" to which several moms sheepishly backed away from us.

I apparently have a few in my town. According to polls 25% are in favor and another 14% are undecided. The best outcome is having this initiatve crushed so they proponents don't come back again.

monstergirlee said...

hmmm... I'm from the other coast but really, who would be so short sighted as to vote in favor of such a ridiculous thing.
Wow, good luck with this one!

Flower Child said...

Someone today told me that she prefers keeping her Boston/MA residency b/c the taxes are HALF of what we pay in DC! So anyone who is complaining about paying MA taxes should move to my town - it's ridiculous! And it's not like we get HALF of what you get. Our schools suck, our mass transit is grossly underfunded and crime is high. Not to mention a dozen other problems. Geez, Vote No!