In my last post, I discussed TABOR Now’s ethics complaint against several opponent organizations, including our old friend, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. As you’ll recall, CBPP is the group that leftists call whenever taxpayers anywhere try to relieve themselves of the burdens heaped on them by every special interest pleader with outstretched hand and political influence. We’ve already met Iris Lav, CBPP’s dedicated taxpayer disciplinarian, whose particular specialty is blaming Colorado’s TABOR for every imagined ill up to and including the common cold.
In the course of TABOR Now’s ethics complaint, CBPP made several filings, including this letter filed two days before the October 1 hearing. In it, CBPP’s Debra Schwartz tried to clarify CBPP’s expenditures relating to Maine’s TABOR. Quite apart from estimates drawn from her own fundament, she boasted about CBPP’s activities around the country and made this quite remarkable – and asinine – series of statements:
Under TABOR, Colorado experienced a serious deterioration in education, health care and other services. The state’s business climate and ability to provide basic services suffered, and the law was later suspended. Since 2005, measures like Colorado’s TABOR have surfaced and been defeated in 28 states, including Maine, throughout the country.
Apart from the usual blather about “seriously deteriorated” education and health care and TABOR’s “suspension”, Ms. Schwartz apparently hasn’t seen the new Forbes Magazine report about Colorado’s prosperity. Even if she had, however, I don’t think it would have prevented her from making a fool of herself.
But it’s her statement about defeating TABOR-like measures when they’ve “surfaced” in 28 states that’s the real jaw-dropper. It’s an interesting choice of words. The word “surfacing” conjures images of drowning taxpayers trying to get their nostrils above water, only to have a strong hand shove them back under.
But come to think of it, holding taxpayers heads under water – in 28 states no less – seems to be CBPP’s occupation.
Perhaps Ms. Schwartz was a little too candid, no?
For more information about Maine’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights, please visit the TABOR NOW website.
