Anti-tax politicians need to get perspective
You can't support wasteful wars at the expense of home improvements
by Leigh Pomeroy
Those folks who decry taxes, like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, need to get a grip on perspective. Pawlenty, for example, decries a five-cent per gallon gas tax increase in his state, but he never says a word about the cost of the Iraq war to Minnesota's citizens, a war fully supported by his president (George Bush) and his favorite presidential candidate (John McCain).
So let's put this in perspective.
Latest figures indicate that the war in Iraq has reached a $12 billion a month burn rate ("Studies: Iraq war will cost $12 billion a month"). That means the war is costing each Minnesotan about $39.50 a month or $474 a year, not including lives lost, families disrupted, communities impacted and other long-term effects.
A five-cent per gallon gas tax increase will cost Minnesota drivers about $2.35 a month or $28 a year, about six percent of the cost to each Minnesotan for the Iraq war.
According to the National Priorities Project, the war in Iraq has cost Minnesotans over $12 billion to date, or about $2,300 per person. $12 billion would replace a lot of highway taxes. Let's see, at a cost of $32 million per penny of gas tax per year (according to 2005 figures), what Minnesotans have incurred for the war would have paid for 15 years of gas taxes even at the new rate (as of the end of 2008) of 25 cents per gallon.
So when politicians start yelling and screaming, "No new taxes! No new taxes!" look beyond the rhetoric to where the real money is being spent. Like the old adage says, it doesn't pay to be penny wise while pound foolish.
by Leigh Pomeroy
Those folks who decry taxes, like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, need to get a grip on perspective. Pawlenty, for example, decries a five-cent per gallon gas tax increase in his state, but he never says a word about the cost of the Iraq war to Minnesota's citizens, a war fully supported by his president (George Bush) and his favorite presidential candidate (John McCain).
So let's put this in perspective.
Latest figures indicate that the war in Iraq has reached a $12 billion a month burn rate ("Studies: Iraq war will cost $12 billion a month"). That means the war is costing each Minnesotan about $39.50 a month or $474 a year, not including lives lost, families disrupted, communities impacted and other long-term effects.
A five-cent per gallon gas tax increase will cost Minnesota drivers about $2.35 a month or $28 a year, about six percent of the cost to each Minnesotan for the Iraq war.
According to the National Priorities Project, the war in Iraq has cost Minnesotans over $12 billion to date, or about $2,300 per person. $12 billion would replace a lot of highway taxes. Let's see, at a cost of $32 million per penny of gas tax per year (according to 2005 figures), what Minnesotans have incurred for the war would have paid for 15 years of gas taxes even at the new rate (as of the end of 2008) of 25 cents per gallon.
So when politicians start yelling and screaming, "No new taxes! No new taxes!" look beyond the rhetoric to where the real money is being spent. Like the old adage says, it doesn't pay to be penny wise while pound foolish.
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1 Comments:
Pawlenty’s strategy regarding transportation funding is the same as how Bush is funding on the war. Borrow and let the next generation pay for it.
Our national debt has grown about 70% during the last six years. Domestic borrowing is one thing, but our government has borrowed vast amounts from foreign countries. As of November 2007, the Legislative Reference section of the Library of Congress reported that in government-to-government loans (that is US Treasury obligations), we have borrowed $2.7 trillion dollars since the war began in 2003. China alone owns over $1 trillion dollars in US government obligations.
Yet, the Friends of the Minnesota Taxpayer League have called this a “massive” tax increase. As you have pointed out, this is peanuts … they are more concerned that once the pattern of fiscal irresponsiblity is broken, that responsible legislators will realize that PayGo is fair and proper.
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