The Spokesman Speaks... Er, Misspeaks
The controversy surrounding Arnold and taxation continues. The latest fan for the flames comes from within the much-lauded Team Arnold. With words like these, the otherwise "slick" Sean Walsh is destined for a stint with Hillary Clinton's future presidential campaign. From Fox News:
"Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated clearly his intention to cut taxes to make California's job climate a competitive one. Regrettably, in comments I made to Fox today, I left the impression that Arnold Schwarzenegger could consider increasing taxes based on economic conditions. I misspoke," said spokesman Sean Walsh. [P] "I did not articulate my own intentions and certainly not Arnold Schwarzenegger's position. The impression I left is wrong. As Arnold stated yesterday, I very much believe that Californians have been over-taxed and over-spent.
"We're not going to play into any particular interest group who wants to just whipsaw us and well, it has to be automatic tax increases or it has to be a no new taxes pledge," Walsh told Fox News. "What, per se, do you do if you cut taxes in a broad array of areas and you raise taxes in one particular area so from a net perspective taxes are lower but you get attacked for raising taxes?"
Again, Arnold should remove all doubt and sign Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge. To consider future exigencies as inevitable only invites criticism and begs the question as to whether or not the current fiscal situation is serious enough to be deemed such. Businesses will not come back to California, and productive people will leave in droves, should the next governor not make the climate more amiable to sustained economic growth. I am waiting for one of the campaigns to call Cruz Bustamante's plan for "Tough Love" what it really is: systematic taxpayer abuse. Whenever a politician, including the current White House resident, calls for "tough love" three things are certain: government intervention in people's lives will increase, someone will foot the tab and the tab will grow exponentially.
California doesn't need "tough love." It requires political leadership that reconizes the vitality of Jefferson's brilliant words, contained in his first inaugural address: "What more is necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people? Still one thing more ... A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from labor the bread it has earned." I wonder how Sean Walsh would spin that.
"Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated clearly his intention to cut taxes to make California's job climate a competitive one. Regrettably, in comments I made to Fox today, I left the impression that Arnold Schwarzenegger could consider increasing taxes based on economic conditions. I misspoke," said spokesman Sean Walsh. [P] "I did not articulate my own intentions and certainly not Arnold Schwarzenegger's position. The impression I left is wrong. As Arnold stated yesterday, I very much believe that Californians have been over-taxed and over-spent.
"We're not going to play into any particular interest group who wants to just whipsaw us and well, it has to be automatic tax increases or it has to be a no new taxes pledge," Walsh told Fox News. "What, per se, do you do if you cut taxes in a broad array of areas and you raise taxes in one particular area so from a net perspective taxes are lower but you get attacked for raising taxes?"
Again, Arnold should remove all doubt and sign Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge. To consider future exigencies as inevitable only invites criticism and begs the question as to whether or not the current fiscal situation is serious enough to be deemed such. Businesses will not come back to California, and productive people will leave in droves, should the next governor not make the climate more amiable to sustained economic growth. I am waiting for one of the campaigns to call Cruz Bustamante's plan for "Tough Love" what it really is: systematic taxpayer abuse. Whenever a politician, including the current White House resident, calls for "tough love" three things are certain: government intervention in people's lives will increase, someone will foot the tab and the tab will grow exponentially.
California doesn't need "tough love." It requires political leadership that reconizes the vitality of Jefferson's brilliant words, contained in his first inaugural address: "What more is necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people? Still one thing more ... A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from labor the bread it has earned." I wonder how Sean Walsh would spin that.
posted by Nikos A. Leverenz @ 3:07 PM
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