Pastor-Populist Mike Huckabee.
Lambro talks about Huckabee's charm and they way he dismisses critics, such as the Cato Institute and the Club For Growth, who have labeled him a tax-hiker.
Huckabee defends himself by saying that he responded to court demands for added educational funding and pushed for a gas tax raise because 80 percent of Arkansans want improved highways. But his willingness to consider tax increases reflects a populist impulse that could make or break his candidacy. He readily describes the sins of economic and political elites: "the greed of Wall Street, the corruption of K Street."
I will say, as an Arkansan, that Huckabee's tax record was, in my opinion, on the whole favorable. There was an education crisis, or so the state Supreme Court said, and money had to be raised to bring the state schools up to the vague level the court mandated. The highways have long been terrible and are now better. And building and improving roads is something government is actually supposed to do. And there were other things.
However, early in his administration, Huckabee led the charge to cut income tax rates, the first time that had been done in Arkansas in years. And Arkansas is still, comparatively speaking, a fairly low-tax state. And the roads are better, and my front-end alignment thanks you.
Lambro ends his column this way.
Pundits count three or four seats on the GOP presidential campaign plane, and say they're occupied by McCain, Giuliani, Romney and (maybe) Gingrich. Might there be one more?
Yes, I should think so.
1 comment:
The problem is that with a downturning economy, Huckabee scares economic conservatives. He talks about firing the 150,000 IRS employees in one swipe. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of small businesses providing tax services. The USA only created 43,000 jobs in November of 2007. Huckabee fails to mention the 23% consumption tax on everything you buy. That includes healthcare. Can you afford a 23% increase in your healthcare?
His reason for supporting the so called “Fair” tax is that it would bring the “bad folks” into the system. The issue there is that the “bad folks” are a tiny percentage of the US population and the middle class will actually pick up the burden.
Look, I am a student with student loans, three kids and a wife, I pay an effective tax rate of 7%! Huckabee would give me a 15% tax increase - I cannot afford that. Finally, economists estimate the “Fair Tax” would need to be closer to 50% in order to remain revenue neutral!!!
Just imagine the black market that will kick up in the US of A. A vote for Huckabee is a vote to put 150,000 people out of jobs right off the bat. That’s a big nno thank you for me.
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