Issue Position: Taxes

Issue Position

"One thing is clear: The Founding Fathers never intended a nation where citizens would pay nearly half of
everything they earn to the government." Ron Paul

This applies to state taxes as well! Those wanting to increase taxes will tell you, "but it's only 0.01 (or 0.03, or 0.05) of a percent!" Unfortunately, you add up all those incremental taxes and, pretty soon, they turn out to be much more than just .01 of a percent! In Washington we have to be smarter and more responsible in how we handle other peoples' (your) money. Just because we can raise taxes, doesn't mean we should raise taxes!

The budget will be of utmost priority in the upcoming session. I've been asked if I thought it was wise to sign a pledge to not increase taxes nor impose new taxes in light of the McCleary decision (to fully fund education). My answer is "Yes!" Why is the legislature's default solution always to raise taxes? I propose we take a good hard look at what is the proper role of government, conduct performance audits, and review the stated purpose of specific departments and agencies. If a department/agency is no longer performing the task it was created to do, then eliminate it. If a department is being badly mismanaged, then fix it - but don't automatically just throw more money at it!

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