Lance

Okay, I posted my thing about statistics, but I didn't get to put all the stuff in there that I wanted. I really wanted to use some more quotes from Reschovsky, from the paper he did on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. But it didn't fit, so I'm doing it here.

Reschovsky opposes TABOR - that is clear to me, although I've never actually heard him say so. His position is that taxes really aren't so high in Wisconsin.

Trying to make that point, he actually makes the pro-TABOR point for us.

“Over this period (1974 to 2000), total spending increases from 17.5% to 21% of personal income. If annual increases in per capita state and local spending had been limited to the rate of inflation, over this period per capita state and local spending would have declined from 17.5% to 13.3%…”

You see, 13.3% of personal income – 13 cents out of every dollar earned – isn’t enough for the government, according to Reschovsky. He doesn't say how much would be enough, but his implication is clear: the government has to be free to grow beyond the 21% they currently spend.

It's important to note that actual spending would still have grown, just not as fast as the economic factors we measure it against. I can look up the actual growth rates, if you want.

This next one is my favorite bit, from the same paper:

“During this 26 year period, as the economy of the state grew by 43 percent as measured by real (inflation adjusted) growth in per capita personal income, state residents would have had to reduce the share of their income they can spend on the wide range of public services provided by their state and local governments.”

Get it? Reschovsky is just trying to protect our right to pay higher taxes! What a guy!

Could someone please explain to him that this is already the case? If you want to pay more, there are mechanisms to do that. Or find a charity. Taxes are involuntary - once they go up, we have no choice but to pay them.