Ready to Break "The Pledge"

Perhaps the influence of Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform, and their Taxpayer Protection Pledge is waning. Republicans, the party of low taxes, stand ready to raise the income tax rate of the approximately half of American taxpaying units that pay none. Why is that? Well, low income households are not likely to contribute to any political cause. When your major contributors are the very rich, politicians are going to follow the money in every sense of the phrase. There is also a narrative about the greater worthiness of the people who pay taxes and produce jobs for other Americans. Bruce Bartlett has gathered a few quotes.

  Last year, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, the ranking Republican on the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, declared that taxes on the rich should not be raised until the poor are taxed. “I think many taxpayers are skeptical that the answer to our fiscal problems is for them to sacrifice more, when almost half of all households are not paying any income taxes,” Mr. Hatch said.
  In April, Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House majority leader, said it was “unfair” that 45 percent of people don’t pay any federal income taxes. Asked if he wanted to increase taxes on these people, he replied, “You’ve got to discuss that issue.”
  In May, Richard Mourdock, the Republican Senate nominee in Indiana, likened the current split between taxpayers and nontaxpayers to the pre-Civil War division of the nation between slave and free. Consciously using Abraham Lincoln’s famous “house divided” terminology from 1858, Mr. Mourdock said, “When 47 percent are paying no income taxes — they do pay Social Security, but they are not paying income taxes — and 53 percent are carrying the load, we are a house divided.”

The poor's free ride is over! To quote our own Governor Perry, "We're dismayed at the injustice that nearly half of all Americans don'e even pay any income tax."

Mr. Bartlett's article is worth reading in its entirety, and I also recommend James Kwak's piece in The Atlantic, The GOP's Bizarre, Disturbing Passion for Raising Taxes on the Poor

Which Pledge? A Small Break in a United Front

US Congressional Republicans, the most outspoken being the freshman legislators, have made a small break with Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform's pledge to never vote to raise taxes. This is well reported in a post from Politico. Signing the pledge has been a must for winning a Republican primary, and ATR has supported internecine warfare against pledge violators.

On my prior subject of which oath is more important, I note that at least one Republican House freshman emphasizes his oath of office to uphold the Constitution. From the Politico post:

And a spokesman for Rep. Trey Gowdy, one of the most conservative House freshmen, emphasized that, first and foremost, Gowdy has “taken an oath to uphold the Constitution,” though the congressman isn’t backing away from the pledge.

Pledge or no pledge, none of these solons are likely to vote for a tax increase. They do seem more interested in governing than in litmus tests, however.

Which Pledge?
Which Pledge? The Texas Budget Compact

Which Pledge? The Texas Budget Compact

Which Pledge? Governor Perry, already a signer of Grover Norquist's Taxpayer Protection Pledge, has sought to score political red blood density points by publicizing a "me too" pledge he calls the Texas Budget Compact. I was pleased to find out that Texas House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) refused to sign based on his policy of not signing any such pledges. As Speaker, Straus fills a much stronger position in state government than the governor. It gives me faint hope, particularly for restoring some education funding, that he would refuse to limit his budget options before the next legislative session.

During a visit to Washington on Tuesday, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus also lauded the goals in Perry's "compact" - including a ban on assorted budget gimmicks, and a pledge not to raise taxes or create new taxes - while saying flat out that he doesn't sign pledges and won't sign this one. Dallas Morning News

As cause for despair, here is the list of Texas legislators on the Americans for Tax Reform website who have signed Norquist's pledge as of March 27, 2012. Presumably they will support Governor Perry's mini-pledge. I hope they all will give more weight to representing the interests of their districts than aligning themselves with Norquist's or Perry's goals. If the legislators themselves won't put Texas and Texans first, however, Texas voters can have their say in the Texas primary May 29th, The primary runoffs July 31st, and the general election November 5th.

6 Senators of 31
Brian Birdwell (S-22)
Chris Harris (S-9)
Joan Huffman (S-17)
Robert Nichols (S-3)
Dan Patrick (S-7)
Tommy Williams (S-4)

67 House members of 150
Jose Aliseda (H-35)
Alma Allen (H-131)
Doc Anderson (H-56)
Rodney Anderson (H-106)
Marva Beck (H-57)
Leo Berman (H-6)
Dwayne Bohac (H-138)
Fred Brown (H-14)
Linda Harper Brown (H-105)
Angie Chen Button (H-112)
Cindy Burkett (H-101)
Erwin Cain (H-3)
Bill Callegari (H-132)
Stefani Carter (H-102)
Wayne Christian (H-9)
Tom Craddick (H-82)
Brandon Creighton (H-16)
Myra Crownover (H-64)
Sarah Davis (H-134)
Joe Driver (H-113)
Gary Elkins (H-135)
Allen Fletcher (H-130)
Dan Flynn (H-2)
John Frullo (H-84)
John Garza (H-117)
Larry Gonzales (H-52)
Lance Gooden (H-4)
Kelly Hancock (H-91)
Patricia Harless (H-126)
Harvey Hilderbran (H-53)
Charlie Howard (H-26)
Dan Huberty (H-127)
Bryan Hughes (H-5)
Todd Hunter (H-32)
Jason Isaac (H-45)
Jim Keffer (H-60)
Phil King (H-61)
Tim Kleinschmidt (H-17)
John Kuempel (H-44)
Jim Landtroop (H-85)
Lyle Larson (H-122)
Jodie Laubenberg (H-89)
George Lavender (H-1)
Ken Legler (H-144)
Jerry Madden (H-67)
Dee Margo (H-78)
Geanie Morrison (H-30)
Jim Murphy (H-133)
Barbara Nash (H-93)
Ken Paxton (H-70)
Tan Parker (H-63)
Charles Perry (H-83)
Four Price (H-87)
Debbie Riddle (H-150)
Connie Scott (H-34)
Charles J. Schwertner (H-20)
Kenneth Sheets (H-107)
Mark Shelton (H-97)
John Smithee (H-86)
Larry Taylor (H-24)
Van Taylor (H-66)
Raul Torres (H-33)
Randy Weber (H-29)
James White (H-12)
Paul Workman (H-47)
John Zerwas (H-28)
Bill Zedler (H-96)

Recommended reading: Simon Johnson and James Kwak, White House Burning: The Founding Fathers, Our National Debt, and Why It Matters to You

Which Pledge?

Here are two pledges. The first is instantly recognizable as the pledge of allegiance most Americans have recited at school, sporting events, parades, etc.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The second is the Taxpayer Protection Pledge espoused by Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform.

I, _____________, pledge to the  taxpayers of the (___________ district of the) state of _________________ and to the American people that I will: ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rate for individuals and businesses; and TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.

Allegiance to the second is a sign of fiscal irresponsibility and excludes the pledge to the United States. Mostly Republicans have taken the pledge so that they can win elections against other Republicans who won't take the pledge, or at least be competitive in primary contests with other Republicans and incumbents. Party primary election contests are much more easily influenced by money and party organizers such as Norquist. Consequently it is possible to elect enough people to bring the US government to the edge of default, a very irresponsible budget tactic which runs counter to the pledge of allegiance to the United States. Punishment for pledge breakers is immediate by loss of party support and funds, or deferred until the next party primary. Punishment for voters arrives in the form of dysfunctional government. My suggestion to Republicans is that you break Norquist's pledge en masse for the sake of your pledge to the United States.