Veritas Rex

The Huck Factor And New Blood

     For more than a year now, the elites in the two major national political parties have declared Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani the all-but nominated front runners.  Indeed, their national name ID and the chattering class media attention seemingly confirmed this "front-runner" status in national polls.  But as the time to actually begin the Presidential primary process draws close, real live voters are in tuning in and once again rejecting the conventional wisdom.  Thank God.

     Both Barak Obama and Mike Huckabee are enjoying seemingly meteoric rises in national polls.  This is good for the nation, though both would still have to be considered less than the front runners in their respective parties.  But new blood equals new ideas in politics as elsewhere.  And both "rising" stars in the two major parties are eschewing the "politics of personal destruction" that has been a dominate feature of national life during the Clinton era.

     This "new blood" is especially good for the national Republican party.  Here's a little-known, obscure but telling fact about the national GOP: On every national ticket since 1976, there has been either a candidate named Bush or a candidate named Dole.  Don't believe me?  1976 -- Ford and Dole.  1980 and 1984 -- Reagan and Bush.  1988 and 1992 -- Bush and Quayle.  1996 -- Dole and Kemp.  2000 and 2004 -- Bush and Cheney.

     The best place I know to monitor national candidates and campaigns is www.realclearpolitics.com The national and Iowa poll charts, showing the Huck factor in graphic form, show this trend with especially telling clarity.  This tells me people are looking -- nay, searching -- for positive alternatives. We saw that in the Indiana elections a few weeks back, and I believe we'll see it across the board in the elections of 2008.  And they are, interesting enough, finding that alternative in people whose last names end in vowels -- not a common characteristic of Presidential ballot names in the past.  Fasten your seat belt.  There's some turbulence ahead.  But we need it to clear out the congested system. 

It's the Spending Stupid!

Andrea Neal had a great article published in the Indianapolis Star a couple of days ago.  In the article she praises the Governor's property tax plan but gives an important qualifier - the plan lacks a mechanism to control state spending.  Personally, I am a staunch supporter of the complete elimination of property taxes.  However, even I might have to jump on the bandwagon if a state spending cap were added to the Governor's plan.  Here is part of Andrea's article about the Governor's plan, state lawmakers and the Governor should read carefully:

The biggest flaw: While local spending is limited, there's no similar language capping state spending. As Indiana shifts away from property taxes, lawmakers must realize that pressure to spend will continue to build at the state level. A shift in taxation from property taxes to the state sales and income taxes would more closely link public school funding to the state's economy.

Lobbyists will keep asking for more. And there's nothing to stop lawmakers from raising the sales tax again to 8 percent or the income tax from 3.4 to 4 percent or higher. As long as lawmakers are considering spending restraints for local bodies, they should consider state limits too.

According to research prompted by the property tax revolts of the 1970s and '80s, the most effective tax reforms are those that simultaneously attack both symptom (high taxes) and cause (high spending).

Consider the property tax proposition passed by the voters of Massachusetts in 1980. Prop 21/2 limited annual increases in any municipality's tax levies to 21/2 percent, and capped property taxes to 21/2percent of market value. If necessary to fund desirable projects, voters could override spending caps in a referendum.

At the time, opponents predicted one of two things: Either state taxes would have to go up or local governments, schools in particular, would starve. In reality, per-pupil expenditures in Massachusetts rose faster than the national average and the income tax rate stayed stable.

A more famous example is Proposition 13, passed by California voters in 1978. The measure reduced local property taxes by 57 percent and was followed the next year by Proposition 4, which limited state and local government expenditures from tax sources. The limit's formula is based on population and the cost of living.

More than a dozen other states have tax and spending limitations written into law or enacted by voters in referenda. Indiana voters don't have the authority to put such measures on the ballot, and lawmakers are reluctant to impose them.

Hopefully Tuesday's election will motivate lawmakers to think of a long-term fix to the property tax debacle.  Perhaps Andrea's suggestions can help them move closer to that objective.

Property Taxes and Surprising Election results

It has been very interesting to examine the election results and view the comments of political pontificators trying to make sense of it all.  Citizens of Marion County voted for change, but what kind of change and why?  Many point to the property tax debacle and rising crime rates as the primary reasons and they are probably right.  However, there seems to be an underlying feeling that things in Indianapolis have been going in the wrong direction.  Perhaps the real reason isn't rising property taxes or rising crime, but their root causes. 

When the family unit deteriorates, the need for government services increases as crime and many other social maladies increase.  In other words, when little Timmy's mom and dad "fall out of love" with one another and decide to get divorced, neither mom nor dad nor Timmy are probably going to be better off.  Timmy is more likely to get into drugs and other criminal behavior and to eventually drop out of school.  It is going to cost your government more as Timmy works his way through the criminal justice system.  Mom and dad are more likely to be either the perpetrators or victims of crime.  They also are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.  The need for government services are going to increase (and have) because of family deterioration. 

We should look to promote the ideal for the family and discourage all forfeits as one piece of this great change that voters have called for.  We will find that lowering property taxes and reducing crime are easier, the more we encourage people to choose and work hard to keep the ideal heart of family life:  one man joined in marriage with one woman for life. 

Campaign Flurry Transforms Into a Duty to Serve

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities,
for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”  -Romans 13:1

It is early Wednesday morning, and each of us is analyzing yesterday’s election results.   We will for days; some of us years.   The hard work begins for those who find themselves returning or new to office.  The slogans, the flurry of activity, the quest to be seated now transforms to a duty to serve.   Most often we find that the job is harder than we thought.   We find that it can be tedious and often thankless.   Humility will be important for long-lasting success.

Veritas Rex congratulates all the winners – whether upsets or shoe-ins – and we commit to pray for each and every one of them.   Proverbs 29:2 says “ when the righteous thrive, the people rejoice but when the wicked rule, the people groan”.  Let us rejoice now that the election is over and commit to prayer that each of our new leaders will be led by the Spirit of the Lord and govern as righteous and just.

Indiana’s own Reverend Matthew Barnes’ “Public Servants Prayer” encourages prayer and ministry for God-ordained leaders every day.  Visit www.publicservantsprayer.org for a daily prayer calendar of Indiana’s federal and state elected leaders from all political parties.  Prayer knows no political boundary and is needed 365 days a year for our elected leaders.

Don't forget to vote

Today is Election Day!!