Baker’s Timing is Wrong
by Matt O’Brien
Charlie Baker thinks the time isn’t ripe to oppose the latest graduated income tax scheme. With all due respect to the governor’s understanding of gardening, his sense of timing in politics is off.
On April 28 at the DCU Center, members of the Worcester Tea Party delivered flyers into the hands of the Republican delegates going to their convention. Our flyers called on our governor to come out in opposition to the graduated income tax. We successfully distributed almost 2,000 flyers. The delegates that we spoke to learned that, once again, well-financed special interests are putting yet another graduated income tax scheme on the ballot this November.
While we engaged with the good women and men of the Republican Party, our message was meant for Governor Baker. Our governor knows that this policy has failed in Maryland, and in New Jersey, and in Connecticut, and everywhere else that the foolish tried this tax policy. I am sure that Gov. Baker has read the reports from the Pioneer Institute that warn of budget shortfalls and capital flight. None the less, on May 6th on Keller @ Large Gov. Baker said he opposes new taxes, but the time in not ripe to promise to campaign against the graduated income tax.
He is correct that this scheme has been held up by the Supreme Judicial Court. But there is no guarantee that the SJC will stop this obscene abuse of the ballot initiative process to change our state’s Constitution. Even if the judges of the SJC decide in our favor, we could be looking at a reworded ballot question in 2019. In 1994 the graduated income tax was defeated 64% – 28%, and we haven’t seen it again until today.
Even before April 28th we started to build the coalition that will oppose this scheme and the ruin of our commonwealth. The Worcester Tea Party is ready for the road to victory in November. We’re reaching out to every citizen of the commonwealth that believes in good government, balanced budgets, and sound fiscal policy. We will be educating voters from now until the votes are counted in November. When the voters of our commonwealth learn the facts, we will be able to stop this scheme as it has been stopped many times before. The wisdom of the voters of our commonwealth has been proven. It is up to us to present the facts of this issue to them in an honest fashion.
On June 15 at the Jordan Page concert in Belchertown, members of the Worcester Tea Party will be selling our new “Stop the MA Exodus Tax” bumper stickers. Come to the concert, enjoy the music, buy a bumper sticker, and do your part to share the facts with your fellow citizens. ♦
Matt O’Brien is president of the Worcester Tea Party.
