The last time I heard the Pledge of Allegiance, it concluded with the words, "with Liberty and Justice for All". But today in Frankfort, the Kentucky House confirmed the new wording, "with Sin Taxes and Government Waste for All", by passing a new budget which includes new taxation on alcohol sales, on top of the hidden taxation that already existed, and a 100% increase in the hidden cigarette tax (on top of the hidden bulk warehouse tobacco sales tax).
This action follows a worsening trend; taxing minority groups to fund government programs is the "easy way out" for legislators. As long as you please just over 50% of your constituents, it's okay to anger 30%.
Obviously, these aren't your traditional "minority" groups. They're not targeting people based on race or gender, but instead by association and participation.
But just as segregating people because of skin color or gender was (and still is) wrong, it is wrong to single out groups because they choose (or not) to be a part of a particular socio-economic group, or because they choose to participate in an unpopular activity.
Frankfort has decided that those that engage in the consumption of alcohol or tobacco should pay a higher rate of taxes than everyone else. And while you may not drink, or may not smoke, and may even dislike one of both, it is important to understand the final picture to which this path leads.
By targeting taxation for the (sometimes explicit, sometimes hidden) purposes of controlling behavior, we are allowing government to create controls on the lives of individuals.
Some will say, "Good! I want government to make people quit smoking and drinking!". But the effects of these policies will effect those people, as well.
Government uses this new, temporary tax revenue to fund new and expand existing government programs. As the tax revenue dries up, government doesn't shut down that new program; they find "alternative funding sources." This inevitably leads to higher property, sales, and income taxes. These programs, originally funded by sin taxes, are meant only to expand government, create a public dependence (real, or perceived), and then shift the burden to everyone, including those who had originally backed the sin taxes, when the original revenue source dries up. This is the new form of government incrementalism.
At the national level, the "stimulus" bill contains expansion of government programs (that haven't worked yet) specific to healthcare. These are to be funded with cigarette taxes as well. As the rate of smoking continues to decline, these funding sources will run out of money. The programs will not be reduced in size; they'll find alternative funding sources.
At the state level, education funding is the largest boondoggle for the elite few at the top of education.
The president of KCTCS made over $600,000 in 2007. NKU is building new buildings and has a new basketball arena. Instead of cutting back, the universities used the state budget cuts as a reason to raise tuition.
Primary and secondary education funding won't be cut. Meanwhile, schools are spending money on renovations this year, when we should be cutting back. In 2005, Letcher County schools build a new, multi-million dollar high school, including an artificial turf football field complete with a jumbotron with instant replay capabilities.
All the while, we're #48 in the nation for education. Drastic changes in education are necessary to fix this mess. This is just one example of waste that hurts every Kentuckian.
As our personal budgets contract, we must demand that our government cuts back as well. To his credit, Beshear has already worked to cut back a portion of the state's budget, but there are still plenty of areas to examine; both as an immediate fix, and as a long-term fix.
In the spirit of the Boston Tea Party, a number of Kentucky's distillers dumped alcohol on the capital the other day, in protest of this tax. I was strongly encouraged that someone was standing up to this nonsense.
We need to help continue this "Frankfort Booze Party". Call Frankfort and tell your State Senator to vote against targeted taxation, and to find ways to cut the 2008/2009 budget, rather than increasing taxes on a few today, and everyone tomorrow.