REBUTTAL - Shetterly
Will Shetterly (shetterl@maroon.tc.umn.edu)
Wed, 26 Oct 94 17:49:37 -0500
>#2. In three parts, outline your vision for the best system of taxation
>for the state of Minnesota.
>
> 1. What is the tax mix today (income, sales, property, etc.)?
> 2. Where would you like to see the mix in the year 2000? Why?
> 3. What steps or program do you propose to get from here to there?
John Marty responded,
>I believe that the income tax is the fairest way to raise general revenue
>and I am supporting an increase in income tax rates for the wealthiest four
>percent of taxpayers as a way to shift more of the tax burden away from
>property taxes.
Why raise taxes when we can lower our expenses? A new legal industry for
Minnesota would provide new jobs. More working Minnesotans means more
income tax revenues for Minnesota's government. Sales of a new product
means more sales tax revenue. Shifting our legal system away from
prohibition and toward regulation of consensual activities would mean we
could make more efficient use of our police, prisons, and judges. Minnesota
does not need more government. Minnesota needs more efficient government.
Eric Olson responded,
>...every program should face sunset
>legislation, so that programs that have failed or served their puropse can
>be eliminated.
I agree. Thomas Jefferson thought every generation of Americans should
reconsider the nature of their government. What was efficient and wise at
the beginning of one decade will not necessarily be either at the beginning
of the next.
>The main change in the mix of taxation I advocate is a greater reliance on
>user fees. Those who take advantage of government programs should be the
>ones to pick up the tab.
In other words, let the poor pay a larger percentage of their income for
the same services that the rich receive? I vehemently disagree.
>Finally, Minnesota must avoid the mess the federal government is in with
>entitlement spending. We need to repeal MinnesotaCare, and focus health
>care reform on alternatives that take the issue out of the government's
>hands, such as establishing medical savings accounts and deregulating
>alternative practices.
I agree that managed care is a failure. It's designed to preserve the
profits of the institutions that are resposible for the disastrous state of
American health care. But the solution is not to take the issue away from
the government. The government's lack of involvement is the reason for the
current state of affairs. A look at 19th century business practices in
America will tell you that the people who suffer when business is not
regulated are the consumers and the workers. Most of the major
industrialized nations have some form of single-payer health care which
simplifies paper work for doctors and leaves patients free to choose their
own health care provider. Minnesotans deserve a similar system.
Arne Carlson responded,
>Throughout the '70's and
>'80's, we never saw a program we didn't embrace or a federal standard we
>didn't try to exceed.
That's an exaggeration, of course, but the spirit is true: it's called
vision. Minnesotans like trying to be best.
>Now ... concern about
>crime has forced us to spend more on prisons...
No, a lack of vision has resulted in the state choosing to subsidize the
construction and real estate trades by building prisons rather than
tackling the reasons we're locking up so many of our citizens.
>Our capacity to invest in our children - in early
>childhood, in elementary and secondary school, and in colleges and
>universities - is stretched just when we need it most.
And that need will never be met by a governor who vetoes education bills
while he approves crime spending.
>This will ensure a
>bright future for all of our children because reducing taxes will attract
>business and jobs to the state.
The poorest states in the nation have very low taxes. So do the poorest
nations. Most Minnesotans would rather live here and pay fair taxes for
needed services.
Will Shetterly
Grassroots Party candidate for Governor
POBox 7253, Minneapolis, MN 55407