Taxes Dominate CSE Days at the Capitol

The nation’s governors came to Washington this week amidst severe budget problems in state-after-state. The governors had a request for Congress: Give us $40 billion. In fairness, the governors are not the only organized pressure group coming to Washington to ask for federal handouts. Each year, literally thousands of interest groups pitch Congress for a piece of the taxpayer’s money. When the government plans to spend $2 trillion, we should expect a long line of folks with their hand out. Governors with budget problems of their own (making) are no exception.

But last week, hundreds of activists for Citizens for a Sound Economy went to three state capitols with a different message. Their message was loud and clear: “We Want Less!” In Florida, Alabama, and Washington, citizens took a day off from work, traveled by bus, and lobbied their legislators for less. They said to the media, to the state legislature and the governor’s office – here is an organized, educated group of citizens who care passionately about less government, lower taxes and more freedom.

What struck me most about these modern patriots was their willingness to stand up and do something about a problem. They didn’t bemoan all of the organized groups asking for more spending and more taxes. They didn’t pass the responsibility to “other” conservatives to fix the problem. These patriots organized and took direct responsibility for demanding a smaller more accountable government. Boy, does our movement need more of that type of citizen involvement.

I personally had the honor of participating in CSE Day in Tallahassee, Florida. The two-day event was our third annual trip to Tallahassee where hundreds of activists have lobbied successfully in the past for tort reform, school choice, and tax cuts. This year, with the state facing a severe budget crisis, CSE activists arrived educated and committed to holding down spending as the right fiscal solution.

Without question, September 11 hit Florida’s tourism economy particularly hard, and temporarily hurt state tax revenues. Unfortunately, the republican Senate Majority Leader, John McKay’s solution was a tax increase disguised as “tax reform.” The McKay proposal addressed the wrong problem. Florida’s current sales tax structure has provided enough revenue for state government spending to increase in real terms on a per capita basis. In other words, revenues have kept up with Florida’s population growth. Why would state government need more revenue growth than that? If the state government is facing a fiscal problem, the solution lies with limiting the growth in government spending, not in finding new ways to tax Floridians.

CSE activists addressed the issue head-on. First, they didn’t ask for any special favors from the government and then add, “oh, don’t raise taxes either.” The message was consistent – we want less from government, not more. Next, our activist understood the McKay proposal – they came educated and armed with the facts. And finally, they offered a solution. Rep. Rob Wallace (R- Tampa) has introduced an amendment to limit the growth of government to a sustainable level.

Wallace’s amendment would limit state spending to the previous year’s appropriation plus an adjustment for growth. The growth adjustment would be calculated with a simple formula that adds the growth of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to Florida’s population growth. Representative Wallace spoke to our activists and received an award for his important efforts to limit the growth of government.

After visits with over 100 legislators, our activists had delivered their message. The House voted down the McKay tax hike two days later. This is what can happen when citizens turn ideas into action.

The story and the passion was much the same in Alabama and Washington State. Rallying at Olympia for the 3rd annual Washington CSE Day at the Capitol, more than 150 CSE activists stormed the Capitol building and called on their legislators to stop any new tax increases, control their spending, and eliminate government waste and abuse. In Montgomery,Alabama over 100 activists rallied against persistent waste and corruption in state government.

Some 40 states now have budget shortfalls and either the governor or leading state legislators have proposed tax increases as the solution. Organized interests, like the public employee unions, will be in state capitols all session to protect their piece of the taxpayer’s money. CSE has shown we can win with organized educated citizens ready to make the commitment to get involved.

If you would like to get involved in your state and need CSE’s help, give us a call at 1-888 JOIN CSE. We’ve helped organize tax protests in North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, and Virginia – and we’d like to help you make a difference in your state. Or, if you prefer, help us fund our efforts to limit the growth of government by joining our Patriot Project and making an online contribution.

I want to thank the over 500 citizens who made CSE Days at the Capitol a success the last two weeks. Remember, we can make a difference and this battle to limit government does matter.