Everywhere you look, it seems that politicians are wrestling with taxes.
- President Bush is expected to name a commission to look at tax simplification and reform issues.
- New Jersey is likely to have a constitutional convention to address soaring property tax rates.
- And local politicians in city after town after county are trying to find some way to raise revenues without being kicked out of office. Casinos, so-called sin taxes on booze and cigarettes, and commuter taxes are all on the table as revenue-raising options.
But there’s a way for all these politicians to end their tax quandaries, although you seldom hear it discussed — at least by them. It’s simple, really: control spending.
Since President Bush took office, domestic spending on so-called discretionary items — i.e., non-entitlements such as public transportation, agricultural research and funding for the arts — has increased more than 30 percent. That’s more than four times the rate of inflation. Makes you wonder why Republicans have the reputation as fiscal hawks.
What about nondiscretionary spending, or in the language of Washington, “mandatory” spending? This is money for welfare programs, agriculture subsidies and entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security where the law says that citizens who meet certain requirements are entitled to government funds. Since Bush took office, such spending has increased 57.8 percent, or more than eight times the rate of inflation.
Is this spending mandatory? Since Congress wrote the eligibility rules, it can rewrite them. But politicians can’t seem to help themselves when it comes to spending our money.
President Bush can put a stop to the overspending if he chooses, and do it without a commission. Harry Truman used to have a sign on his desk that said “The Buck Stops Here.” President Bush needs to put a sign on his desk that says “The Bucks Stop Here” — and mean it.