The Truth In Arkansas Politics

Asa and Beebe Display Contrasting Views of Taxes

Asa Campaign Blog: Ah, the old John Brummett, Democrat spinmeister extraordinaire, re-emerged today. Brummett's column today was one of the best bits of spin we've seen in a while, although some of his observations verge on outright -- what, untruths? – in his efforts to apologize/cover for his candidate of choice, Mike Beebe. (We know John will read this blog posting – he’s a blog fanatic, by the way, and we think he should start his own.)

During Saturday's exchange at the AP Managing Editors conference, Asa noted that Mike Beebe spent 20 years in the state Senate helping to pass all of those tax hikes that have put Arkansas into the top rankings of the country's most over-taxed states.

We about fell out of our chair when Beebe responded that he, Mike Beebe, is the only candidate who has offered any specific tax cut proposals in this campaign.

We snorted our coffee when we saw Brummett parroting this ludicrous boast, word for word, in this morning's column.

Asa is the only -- the only -- candidate who has offered any specific tax cut proposals. He has offered two very specific tax reform proposals – one to actually cut taxes and one to prevent more Mike Beebes in the Legislature from jacking up our taxes even more in the future.

First, Asa called for a supermajority vote before the Legislature could raise our sales taxes again. Beebe says he is opposed to this reform.

Second, Asa is the only candidate to offer a specific tax cut proposal – one that doesn't come with Mike Beebe's Kerry-esque qualifications, hemmings, hawings, and loopholes. Many months ago, Asa called for the outright elimination of the energy tax on manufacturers so that we could create more jobs in Arkansas.

Beebe's election-year conversion to tax relief seems half-hearted, at best, given the loopholes he ties to any tax cut proposal he offers and his own record of hefty tax increases.

The clear difference between Asa and Beebe emerged when asked about their position on taxes. Asa said he is for cutting taxes, and has a clear record to prove it. Beebe didn't deny a long record of raising taxes, but said that they were needed to for government to operate effectively. Which rapist did Asa want to let out of jail, Beebe absurdly asked?

As Asa noted during the debate, Beebe's negative reaction to tax cuts proposal was typical of the old-guard’s big-government mentality. The key isn't to keep raising taxes to pay for the needs of the state. Instead, we must reform our tax system to spur jobs growth, attract new businesses and industries that will create even more and better-paying jobs, and thereby expand our tax base.

Until we get away from the kind of status-quo mentality of folks like Beebe, we will always find ourselves struggling to meet the needs of our state while simultaneously stifling growth.

It's time to think anew.