by Jack Wibby

Thursday, January 21, 2010


It has often seemed to me that the voters of Massachusetts have had, over the years, a penchant - or perversity - for electing to national office men of questionable character. Recent examples could include the late Senator Ted Kennedy, of Chappaquiddick fame, and Representative Barney Frank, whose involvement with Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac (for his own profit) contributed to a large extent to the housing bubble, which in turn produced the present severe recession.

There were others, I am sure, and it is certainly unfair to single out Massachusetts voters for criticism, as voters in other states - including Maine - have also elected some people of dubious character. And there is a case to be made that there are more scoundrels, cheats, and corrupt individuals in Congress and the administration today than at any time heretofore. Ah, but I digress.

I have dubbed Tuesday’s election result in Massachusetts as a “Miracle” - not at all unlike the “Miracle on Ice” of the 1980 Winter Olympics, because as recently as one month ago, nobody, including this writer, gave Scott Brown a snow ball’s chance in Heck of beating the popular attorney general, Martha Coakley, a Democrat in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one. Scott Brown brought off this upset by campaigning hard every day on the issues. He hammered the Washington elite with the corrupt way in which they have handled health care reform, to wit, the Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase, as just two example of vote-buying with money that was earned by others. The corruption demonstrated by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi has been both pervasive and blatant - blatant to the point of arrogance.

Brown also made the points that there are more important tasks at hand than health care reform, such as, homeland security as seen in the attempt to blow up an airliner on Christmas day, and the awarding of rights to terrorists by being prosecuted in civil courts instead of by military tribunals. Obviously, a national rate of unemployment which is steady at 10% did not sit well in the Bay State. And we could go on with other issues which also preempt health care reform.

So what is to learned from the “Miracle”?

First of all, this race was not even close. A margin of 52% to 46% is certainly not close, and more so in the bluest of states. Obviously, most independents and many Democrats voted for Brown in protest over what they perceive as a movement to make America into another failed socialist country, as in Great Britain and Canada. Out-of-control government spending, a monumental deficit, and a huge and growing debt - in the trillions - are cause for great concern for all who would have our Nation prosper. We should ask, is the future of the Nation at stake?

The town hall meetings of last August, and the tea parties which are continuing, are evidence that Americans are ready to change things, perhaps at all levels of government.

And finally, what are the implications for Maine?

Both of our Congressional Representatives voted, as they were told to by Nancy Pelosi, for Cap and Trade and Health Care Reform, two bills which would kill jobs and increase taxes in the best of times, but within a severe recession, they would be disastrous. Do we need to replace Ms. Pingree and Mr. Michaud? And looking back to November 2008, some of you who read this should ask yourselves why you voted for either of these two.

And with regards to the U.S. Senate, why do Maine Republicans continue to support a woman who frequently votes with the Democrats to increase our taxes and destroy our economy?

I have often wondered what it will take to wake up the American people, as happened on December 7th, 1941, and get our great Nation back on the track upon which it was launched by the exceptional men  whom our history has honored as the Founding Fathers, men who dedicated themselves completely to the American Revolution - the Cause of Freedom:

“To this Cause, we dedicate our Lives, our fortunes, and our Sacred Honor.”

In my opinion, which I grant is hardly ever humble, the terrible events of September 11, 2001, did not get the job done, not at all. Instead, the present President of the United States refuses to get out in front in exterminating those who would, if given the chance, kill innocent children and civilians for the cause of Jihad. And his cohorts in the Congress would drive the Nation into bankruptcy - if it is not already there - in order to pay off Big Labor with Card Check, the environmentalists with Cap & Trade, and their buddies in corrupt organizations such as ACORN.

Compare the great men who created America in 1776 - Franklin, Sam and John Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, etc., and perhaps to greatest man of all time - George Washington - to the likes of Obama, Reid, Pelosi, Holder, Murtha, Dodd, and Frank. How does that sit with you?

And what are we going to do about it? Can we make a Miracle in Maine where the government now owes nearly $13B? What shall we choose - prosperity and freedom, or poverty and slavery?

by Jack Wibby

If you are thinking about reading this editorial, then perhaps you should reconsider as you may read something you will not like. And if that turns out to be the case, you can always dismiss the author as just another sour old man. Read on, if you dare.

On Tuesday, November 3rd, a majority of Maine voters made some decisions, which will certainly effect their futures.

First, in disapproving a tax cut, those who voted No on Question 2 squandered an opportunity to reduce our tax burden, which is the second heaviest in the nation. Perhaps this would be sensible if we were not already, and consistently, one of the very poorest among the states in terms of income. As it is, Maine voters opted for the worst of both worlds - high taxes and low incomes. Is this the road to prosperity, or the road to poverty?

The central argument for No on 2 was that the municipalities would have to increase property taxes in order to repair and plow the roads. The prospect of snow banks and potholes frightened many voters into rejecting this initiative.

But the argument is a non sequitor, which is Latin for "does not follow." Here's why.

Maine’s excise taxes are the seventh  ^{highest amongst all the states. These revenues often exceed the costs of road maintenance. In a recent year, for example, the Town of Gray collected close to $1M in excise taxes but spent only $350,000 on their roads. And if it's the case in Gray, then it is likely the same elsewhere.}

The truth is that excess revenues from excise taxes are used to pad the general fund with little or no accountability, and a cut in the excise tax would be easy to assimilate by reducing spending which is usually, and routinely, bloated. There is no real need to increase property taxes, but I’ll bet they will increase anyway just as they have for many years now.

One argument, which we saw in one TV ad, was that reducing excise taxes on new cars would mean that those of us who drive 2nd-hand vehicles (that's me!) would be subsidizing our wealthy neighbors. Class warfare is childish. When will grown people outgrown class envy?

In rejecting the Maine Taxpayer Bill of Rights, the voters have approved uncontrolled increases in government spending at all levels. Many communities sport expensive and unneeded vehicles such as chief's cars - SUV's with expensive paint jobs; fire inspector's trucks, larger and more expensive than needed with, again, fancy paint jobs; and a surplus of other vehicles for code enforcement officers, police officers and others. Excessive spending on recreation is another example. Can anyone justify a $2M soccer field? or seventy-eight (yes, 78) interscholastic sports in a school of 400 kids? It is quite likely that there is waste in every community in this State, and in some, this waste is egregious.

Whose job is it to spend our property taxes wisely? The dullards (mentally lazy people) on the local councils?

During the period from 2000 to 2008, inflation accumulated at 25%, while our state taxes grew by 46% and our property taxes increased by 58%. Do you comprehend these figures? With no constraints on increases in government spending due to the defeat of TABOR, what can we expect for increases in taxes during the next few years? Will the slide into poverty for most of us accelerate?

And the voters approved another bond issue, as is their want for decades now. Why doesn’t state government include bond projects in the budget? Apparently, many Maine voters think that bonds are free money and will be paid off with no increase in our already too-heavy tax burden. Wrong, only worse!

Bonds are not only an increase in the tax burden, but they are also a burden, which we have imposed upon our children and grandchildren. The cost of bonds will be borne by the young for decades to come. Is this disgusting or what?

And so, my reader, if you voted No on Questions 2 and 4 and yes on the bond issue, you have elected poverty, and I might add, you deserve it.

Had you voted otherwise -a cut in taxes coupled with bringing increases in government spending under control and a rejection of unneeded debt, you would have chosen prosperity. Instead - and get this - cutting taxes would result in an increase in tax revenues due to the stimulation of free enterprise. This means increased economic activity, more businesses and more jobs!  Maine could become the place for opportunity, which it once was, instead of an economic backwater dominated by special interest groups such as the Maine Municipal Association, AARP, corrupt unions such as the NEA, and its state counterpart, the MEA, and perhaps the most corrupt of them all - save the Congress - the SEIU. All of these groups live off us through the government. And politicians in the majority party continue to buy votes with money that someone else has earned.  Is this what you work for?  Is this what you expect of government?

The TV ads purchased by the opposition to TABOR came from the above groups, and nothing of significance, if anything at all, came from individual Maine citizens. This money made it possible for the opposition to spread lies about TABOR all across the State: to wit that TABOR will hurt the schools and the elderly and everyone else you can think of. This was a gross lie.

Contrast this with the fact that the cash to support TABOR came from individual Maine citizens. By one estimate TABOR supporters were outspent 12 to 1. Money talks, I guess, at least when it talks to those gullible enough to believe anything no matter how foolish it may be.

And many Maine voters bought these lies.

So which path did you, my loyal reader, choose – poverty or prosperity? Bon voyage!