And the hypocritical iceberg is growing larger...
It’s time for liberals to pony up, or shut up
By Howie Carr
Boston Herald Columnist
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
It’s almost Tax Day, and once more, the good liberals of Massachusetts have gone missing.
Yet again they are refusing to pay their state income taxes at the old, more compassionate higher rate, when all it would take is the mere stroke of a pen, to hand over to the commonwealth more money . . . for the children.
And now the liberals have a new cause.
It’s for . . . the . . . illegal .. aliens.
In case you’re new here, a few years ago the Legislature tired of all these liberals demanding that everyone pay their “fair share.” So when the tax rate was cut, thanks to the voters, to 5.3 percent, a new law was written allowing those voters who were so concerned about the children, the illegal aliens, etc., to pay at the old 5.85 percent rate.
By the way, the solons don’t deserve that much credit, because the voters wanted the tax rate cut to 5 percent - the solons “froze” it at 5.3 percent. But still, this voluntary tax increase is a good benchmark to see just how serious the liberals are about “everyone” paying their fair share.
It turns out, for Massachusetts liberals, “everyone” is “everyone else.”
Here are the latest numbers from the state Department of Revenue: So far in this 2006 tax season, 2,094,301 residents have filed tax returns.
Of those 2,094,301, exactly 527 have opted to pay higher taxes.
That works out to approximately one-fortieth of 1 percent of all Massachusetts taxpayers. And yet, in the 2000 election, when the question of cutting the state income tax rate was on the ballot, more than 1 million residents voted not to cut their own taxes.
But given a chance to pay voluntarily, 99.9 of those no doubt very sincere pro-tax liberals have vanished, opting instead to enjoy the tax cut they ostensibly opposed.
Whatever happened to doing the right thing? Whatever happened to quoting Oliver Wendell Holmes (or some other rich Yankee with a trust fund) that taxes are the price we pay for civilization?
What about the children?
What about the illegal aliens?
Now, who is going to pick up the tab for the 40,000 illegal aliens - excuse me, “undocumented workers” - who may soon be cut off the state Medicaid rolls just for the mere fact that they are foreign layabouts and criminals? To all of you good Kerry-bumper-sticker-brandishing, Birkenstock wearers in the Peoples Republics of Brookline, Cambridge, Arlington and Lincoln - what about your amigos, your compadres?
If you Daily-Kos reading, Bush-lied-people-died chanting potheads don’t pay at the higher rates, it’ll be on your hands if they have to . . . get a job.
The saddest thing of all is, as the need grows ever greater, after 12, er 16, no, 17 years of Reagan-Bush-Bush, the number of liberal gringos willing to walk the walk is declining with every year.
Can someone say hypocrisy?
Since the voluntary higher-tax program started, the numbers at this point in the tax season have gone from 843 in 2003 to 714 in 2004 to 629 last year to 527.
What is it with these liberals?
They’re all for everyone paying their fair share, except when it’s their turn to buy a round. They’re very worried about illegal aliens who don’t pay taxes, period, but they care not a whit about lifelong residents in their hometowns who are being driven out by the higher property taxes. The Archdiocese of Boston rolls out the red carpet for foreign criminals, but gives the bum’s rush to citizens who have paid the bills for generations and now only desire to keep their churches open.
And now as the check arrives, as it always does at this time of year, all but 527 liberals in Massachusetts have bolted for the door. Put out an Amber Alert.
What about the children, the illegal-alien children?
news.bostonherald.com
Howie Carr’s best-selling book, “The Brothers Bulger,” is available online at Amazon.com and at bookstores everywhere. |
