Millions of Americans are obese. Why? They overeat. Too many empty calories, too many calories, and way too much fat. Almost all are overweight because they overeat.
These problems shrink in comparison to America's biggest problem: government obesity.
Federal, state, and local governments over-tax, over-borrow, over-spend, over-regulate, and over-govern. Super-size taxes. All-you-can-tax revenue buffets. Never-ending, ever-expanding government gluttony.
Year after year, Massachusetts government has let out its budget belt, while we workers and taxpayers tightened our belts.
Massachusetts state government taxing and spending has more than doubled in the last 17 years – while the population increased only 8.3%.
City and town government taxing and spending in Massachusetts has also more than doubled.
Is our government giving us double the results? Are streets twice as well paved and maintained? Are crime rates half of what they were? Are public school children getting twice the education they were?
No. While government taxing and spending doubled, the results did not. They stayed flat or fell.
Judged by results, the increased taxing and spending was and is unnecessary. And wasteful.
We don't judge a person's nutrition by how much money he spends on groceries. We don't judge a government's value by how much it pays for programs, goods, and services.
We don't call a person a good shopper when he overpays. We don't call government a wise spender when it overpays.
An obese person can't overeat his way to weight loss. An oversized, obese government can't overtax and overspend its way to becoming a more affordable, lighter burden.
We must stop overfeeding government. We must put Massachusetts government on a money diet. A size-reducing, tax-reducing, spending-reducing, power-reducing diet.
We've launched a ballot initiative to END the income tax in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts state budget is $28 billion this year. The income tax brings in $11 billion of this. 39%. The other $17 billion comes from the sales tax, business and corporate tax, the death tax, gasoline taxes, and a banquet of other government taxes and compulsory "fees."
What are the benefits of ending the state income tax?
- Our Ballot Initiative will give back over $3,600 each to over 3,000,000 Massachusetts workers. $3,600 average. Each worker. Tax free. Not just once. Every year.
- It will take $11 billion out of the gluttonous hands of obese Massachusetts state government – and put it back into the hands of the men and women who earned it. Not just once. Every year.
- In productive, private hands this $11 billion a year will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in Massachusetts.
- This will force the state legislature to streamline and cut the waste out of the Massachusetts state budget.
- This will force the state legislature to get rid of the failed, flawed government programs that don’t work – and often make things worse.
- It’ll make the state legislature accountable to Massachusetts workers and taxpayers – instead of the government employees, lobbyists, and special interests who profit from high government spending.
- With less government and no income tax, Massachusetts will become a magnet to private, productive businesses and individuals. More good jobs and more good workers.
When overweight or obese people stop overeating and slim down, they experience a number of different benefits. Better health. Better social lives. Better work lives. Some inspire their friends or co-workers to lose weight, too.
Perhaps our ballot initiative to END the Income Tax in Massachusetts will inspire or incite taxpayers in other states to take off the taxes, too.
Maybe you like the idea. But you just don't believe it could happen in Massachusetts.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan for President won Massachusetts with 1,057,631 votes.
In 1984, Ronald Reagan again won Massachusetts with 1,310,936 votes.
In 2002, our first END the Income Tax Ballot Initiative in Massachusetts got 885,683 votes. 45%. We did it with volunteers, a small budget, and advertising spending of less than $89,000.
The first poll on our ballot initiative shows that 46% of Massachusetts voters oppose it, while 45% support ENDing the Massachusetts state income tax. 9% are undecided. (Source: State House News Service Poll, January 2008)
Our initiative is headed for the November 4th ballot. This time, we can win. We can END the Income Tax in Massachusetts.
When someone is overweight or obese, the time to begin dieting is now.
When government over-taxes, over-borrows, over-spends, over-regulates, and over-governs – the time to lighten the burden is now.
It's time to reduce government obesity. Starting in Massachusetts. Continuing in your city or state.
Want to reduce government obesity?
Stop overfeeding government.
March 14, 2008
