Lathander wrote:Most folks believe taxes are too high
I'll give you that. Everyone thinks their taxes are too high. That is why any referendum which hits the ballot to lower taxes will get rubber stamped by the voting public, regardless of the effect or ramifications to the state economy.
and they do not want more big government programs.
False. People want big government programs, but only when they are personally beneficial. Low-income people want welfare. Churches want tax exemptions and state subsidy funding. Everybody wants affordable health care, and all but the upper class want social security benefits. This is why we pay taxes.
Big government/small government isn't even a partisan issue any more, because both parties now favor exponentially increasing legislation. Only difference is, liberals favor social programs, while conservatives want economic programs.
By the way, I do think the legislature going against a popular vote is tantamount to ignoring the will of the people.
It is, because the people do not have the requisite knowledge to govern themselves. That is a basic, fundamental tenet of our representative government system. The people
can not govern themselves, so they elect officials to do it for them. In this case, a referendum was put forth and implemented until the elected officials saw it was not economically feasible to continue.
If you let the people have their way, they'd repeal taxation entirely. In fact, there's a movement in MA trying to get the No Income Tax referendum to the ballot right now.
I'd encourage folks that are mad about taxes going up to not just vote, but get politically active. Google your local republican party for your county and get involved. Both parties have their problems, but for most Americans, a responsible government which does not overtax the people is what they want.
Isn't it the Republican party who is funneling hundreds of billions of dollars into a war that the majority of the American people are against? Imagine the tax breaks you could implement by cutting this elephant out of the budget. If Americans want a responsible government who doesn't overtax the people, they have no options for that at the moment.
Anyone with sense can see that low taxes are better than high taxes. The answer to the funding issue is to cut spending on needless goverment entitlement programs and give people more control over their retirement.
Actually, anyone with sense can see that what we need is universal, affordable health care and the guarantee of social security benefits. Those who think critically and avoid the knee-jerk reaction to call for lower taxes can clearly see that social programs benefit taxpayers more than an extra 2% on their weekly paycheck. We need more liberals in office to ensure these benefits are not taken away in favor of yet another tax break for wealthy corporations.
Dem's are ignoring the ban on gay marriage because the people do want it and it is their way of not saying no to the voters, but placating their base which includes the gay lobby.
Gay marriage is a civil rights issue that is an inevitability in our country, in the same category as women's suffrage and voting rights for African Americans. There is always a lot of backlash from conservatives when the country tries to move forward with civil rights. However, each new generation will be raised with fewer prejudices as our society comes to accept homosexuality as normal, and in a couple decades, gay marriage will be nationally legal. It's the same way we moved forward with rights for women and minorities.
Finally, it is not bigoted to believe in defending what marriage is. It may feel cool to say it, but it's just silly. The institution of marriage has enough trouble right now without watering it down more with this nonsensical change.
Marriage isn't an institution, it's a legal proceeding which confers additional rights and benefits on both partners. Getting married lowers your auto and home insurance, allows health insurance to extend to your partner, confers power of attorney on your spouse in cases of death or dismemberment, and qualifies you for a new bracket of income tax deductions. Denying marriage to an entire group of citizens is discriminatory, and doing it because of their sexual orientation is bigoted.
If, because of your religion, you want to believe that marriage is some sacred and divine institution handed to you by your god, then that's fine with me too. Voice your support in favor of "civil unions," which confer the legal benefits and status upon engaged partners without dragging the religious aspect into it. But no, conservatives don't want this either, because "the institution of marriage" really isn't the core of the issue... homosexuality itself is the issue.