Arizona Republican Brewer Bucks Party on Taxes, Then Goes a Step Further
By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Efforts by Arizona interim Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican who took office after Democrat Janet Napolitano joined President Obama's cabinet, to raise taxes to balance the state's budget have been met with fierce resistance from grassroots conservatives. Now one prominent antitax activist is accusing the governor of launching a political pressure campaign against members of her own party who refuse to go along with her plan—and of doing it with the support of the state's GOP chairman.
"It has recently been announced that the firm High Ground Inc., a group that advises Governor Jan Brewer," wrote Americans for Tax Reform's Grover Norquist in a letter to Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen, "will launch a $225,000 media campaign against legislators who oppose Gov. Brewer's calls for a multi-billion dollar tax increase in the middle of a recession."
The letter added:
The Governor has made clear that this campaign, which targets fiscally conservative legislators from your own party, has her full-throated support. Several months ago Americans for Tax Reform asked your staff if rumors of a campaign to target Republican legislators were true and if such an effort would be supported by the Arizona State Republican Party. That inquiry, disturbingly, was met with silence by you and your staff.
It is no secret that you have close ties to those behind the aforementioned campaign. This is troubling given your duties as chairman of the state Republican Party and RNC treasurer.
As Norquist puts it, economists of all stripes agree that tax increases in the midst of a recession are a bad idea. In fact, he says, it is one of the few things they can agree on. And, he points out, the Center for Fiscal Accountability estimates that Arizona taxpayers spend 194 days "working just to pay for the cost of government."
Asking Pullen—who has reportedly also been a player in the interparty machinations that have made life difficult for Republican National Chairman Michael Steele—to repudiate the campaign against antitax GOP legislators, Norquist suggests, "It would be unconscionable for the state Republican Party to not condemn this effort."
One would have thought that, in the debate over rehabilitating the Republican Party brand, the one issue on which everyone could agree was taxes. Apparently not.
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Reader Comments
Go Jan
I am a pretty dependable Democrat who has lived for years in Arizona. When Governor Napolitano left, I was worried to say the least. I think we have a pretty good egg in Governor Brewer, however, at least as far as fiscal matters go. This state has major problems with schools, immigration and crime. We don't need to end up like California, our usual past "role model" and it is definitely tme to get the house in order. I will gladly pay increased taxes to help avoid that fate.
I don't buy the hype
that "all" economists agree that raising any taxes in a recession is a bad idea.
As more and more employment shifts from the private sector to something funded by government, there is no reason you cannot raise taxes on the excesses found in pure capitalism to pay for those new jobs you are creating. There is no reason for A-Rod to get paid hundreds of millions for playing baseball. Nor was there any reason for "capital gains" to be taxed below earnings from any kind of work.
We once had income taxes that topped out at about 90% on a very select few people. Our economy was better off then----if you're willing to notice that our "economy" of today has the federal government headed toward a disastrous collapse from debt.
Don't buy nonsense from Norquist.
Randy Pullen
Pullen believes he is above all, and accountable to no one. This has been made clear in the recent years, as he was more than willing to give McCain/Kyl & President the "middle finger" during a press conference in the heat of the immigration debate, allows Mecum to stay as Executive Director & now will not stand up for fiscally conservative legislators of AZ.
He is good for nothing and I cannot understand how he continues to be elected in Arizona for anything.
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