More on “Covenant for the Future”

Now that I have finished jury duty (just another pack animal in the caravan of justice), I’d like to look a little more at the Democrats’ proposed “Covenant for the Future.” Other bloggers have noted that the Democrats have moved toward the right with these proposals. I won’t go over all of the proposals, but you can find the full list at the Democrats’ blog.

Let’s kick the tires…

• Stop all PAC to PAC transfers. – As mentioned before, excellent. Riley supports it, I imagine the Republicans’ forthcoming Contract with Alabama will be in favor (unless they back off because the Democrats said it first). Some have said this is a Republican issue, but I am not exactly sure why. A Democrat has sponsored it for years, and this year it passed the House by a 97-2 vote. It’s an issue that affects all Alabamians, and I am glad to see it get some momentum.

• Require registered lobbyists to report to the Alabama Ethics Commission all expenditures related to appointed or elected public officials. – Again, outstanding. Right now, lobbyists can spend $250 per day on a legislator without reporting it. Alabamians deserve to know who is spending money to influence the process.
• Stop annual property tax increases by returning property reappraisals to a four year cycle. – I have already said my piece about how it only seems fair to tax a property on what it is worth instead of what it was worth. People want full value for their homes when they get an equity loan or when they sell it, but they don’t want full value when they are taxed. I understand, but it is fair? I heard Roy Moore and Siegelman try to make this a campaign issue also, and I just wonder if this issue is that important to the electorate.
• Oppose any increase in taxes without a vote of the people. – Alabama state services are chronically underfunded (should we start that discussion with prisons, education, and Medicaid?). And Alabamians enjoy one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation (unless you live in poverty, and then you have one of the highest – even with some help from the new tax fairness bill). The Democrats are offering to protect us from a problem we don’t particularly have.

  “Tax” is a magic word in Alabama. You can generate a lot of heat by railing about protecting the people from taxes, so maybe it will work for them. Personally, I don’t see the widsom of hamstringing the legislature in making important decisions like this. That’s why we elected them, they will be accountable to the electorate, and they have never shown a real propensity to go hog wild in this department.

• Eliminate the sales tax on food. – This will be hugely popular. Someone should consider the consequences of taking several hundred million dollars out of the state budget, and I don’t hear that discussion happening anywhere. If the Democrats are going to propose it, I suggest they should talk about what that will do to the budget.
• Further reduce the state income tax on all working families and individuals earning less than the Federal Poverty Level. – Outstanding, in my opinion. Are there many people who feel good about taxing Alabamians in poverty deeper into poverty? In a state where 90% of the residents claim to be Christians?

This is enough for one sitting. We’ll finish up shortly.