Every time non-Southerners import their ideologies to the South, native Southerners get hurt. There was General William Tecumseh Sherman, who burned a trail sixty to 100 miles wide from Atlanta to Savannah and north through the length of South Carolina. A century after Sherman’s march, Richard Nixon inaugurated a "Southern strategy" that exploited race as a wedge issue and has thus wrought more havoc on the South than Sherman could have imagined. But Sherman and Nixon operated in the light of day to deliver their destruction. The most recent importer of foreign ideology, Howie Rich of New York City, employs a different modus operandi, preferring to work in the shadows, but his handiwork is found nonetheless in Georgia and South Carolina this very day.
Constant readers will recall Rich’s Election Night rout, when voters rejected his so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights in Maine (54 percent), Nebraska (70 percent) and Oregon (71 percent), as was reported here http://www.dailykos.com/... And that was AFTER the courts in Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and Oklahoma kicked it off their ballots for various reasons before Election Day. But those losses didn’t spell the end for Rich and his TABOR. Having scattered the seeds of his awful vegetation to the four winds and fertilized them well with money, Rich has counted on his friends in public office to tend them. In at least two states, his malignancy has taken root like another vine plaguing the South, kudzu.
But I’m pleased to report that this afternoon, the Georgia Senate rejected Rich’s TABOR. To be more accurate, the TABOR resolution failed to collect the two-thirds vote necessary for passage, which is the same as saying it was rejected under Georgia law or the rules of its Senate. That resolution apparently was drafted and promoted by the Georgia branch of "Americans for Prosperity," whose board members are connected to Rich through the Cato Institute, Americans for Limited Government, the Reason Foundation and the Club for Growth. Reporter Brian Hughes writes here http://savannahnow.com/... that the goal of this happy band was to eliminate state income taxes in the Peach State.
"The state income tax could be eliminated by the year 2021 if a constitutional limit is placed on the growth of taxes and governmental spending, said members of a free-market advocacy group Wednesday at a Capitol press conference," Hughes writes. He quotes AFP’s Georgia head, Jared Thomas, saying, "This is not a political battle. It's a philosophical issue."
Sounds a lot like Rich himself here http://www.dailykos.com/...
To bolster its case, AFP pushed a study conducted by its economist-for-hire, Barry Poulson. They billed Poulson as a researcher from the University of Colorado – what irony, given TABOR’s damage to that state – instead of mentioning that he’s actually listed as "staff" with the title of "distinguished scholar" at AFP’s headquarters itself. Check my facts here http://www.americansforprosperity.or... Funny how that happens.
No matter, the Georgia Senate said no anyway, and good for it. While it’s certain that the TABORite minions will pick through every potential slip and loophole to see if they can bring the dead proposal back to life, the fact is the fact: today, Rich failed to gain a foothold for his TABOR in yet one more state.
One can imagine hearing, "Curses! Foiled again!" from the edge of New York City’s Greenwich Village.
(Perhaps Rich would say that he had nothing to do with the TABOR campaign in Georgia, that he’s never played in the state whatsoever, so this failure shouldn’t accrue to his account. But careful readers will recall that after having little to do with an under-the-radar eminent domain that passed in Georgia last November, Rich and his disciples trumpeted their victory in a series of press releases before the ink was hardly dry on the morning papers. See here: http://www.dailykos.com/... The rooster, it appeared, took credit for the sunrise.)
But all is not lost. A coordinated investment of nearly $100,000 is quietly paying off beyond Georgia’s eastern border, in South Carolina. Without using the word "TABOR," the red flag that would trigger closer scrutiny and greater opposition, Republican leaders in South Carolina’s House are blithely following Governor Mark Sanford’s lead and enacting a "spending cap" that coincidentally sounds exactly like the TABOR that failed in Georgia today and across the nation last year.
"The House Ways and Means Committee has approved a bill to limit state spending increases to 6 percent a year. A similar cap was included in last year's budget, but if approved by the House and Senate this year, the cap would become state law," write the editors of The State newspaper here http://www.thestate.com/... "Gov. Mark Sanford voluntarily capped his executive budgets at the rates of population growth plus inflation and called for lawmakers to do the same."
"Ways and Means chairman Dan Cooper, R-Anderson, said the House likely will apply the cap to the spending plan they will begin drafting this month," they add.
But that was last week. This week, reporter John O’Connor of The State reports, "House lawmakers are aiming to adopt budget rules advocated by Gov. Mark Sanford -- a cap on increases written into law," here http://www.heraldonline.com/... He adds, "The rules would cap state spending increases at the lesser of 6 percent or the rates of population growth plus inflation."
And one bright legislator let the real deal trip off his tongue: " ‘We wanted to try and eliminate mistakes we've learned from other states,’ O’Connor quotes Rep. Garry Smith of Greenville, who drafted the plan. "The laws are sometimes called a ‘taxpayer's bill of rights’."
"Sanford has made spending a central issue of his tenure and has hammered lawmakers for exceeding his self-imposed cap, typically between 4.5 percent and 6 percent. In 2004, Sanford brought two piglets to the State House to protest the budget," O’Connor explains.
Why would Sanford push such a proposal as this?
Why, indeed.
"Howie Rich, the aptly named New York fat cat who helped bankroll the school privatization lobby in South Carolina’s last election, almost pulled off a win. The millionaire real estate investor reportedly bundled nearly $90,000 in contributions to the campaigns of Gov. Mark Sanford and Superintendent of Education candidate Karen Floyd. The latter lost by a razor-thin margin," writes Becci Robbins, a guest columnist in The State newspaper here http://www.thestate.com/... I guess contributions of nearly a hundred grand would explain why Sanford pushes Rich’s TABOR in his state.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of Rich’s largesse for Sanford, who probably comes closest to sharing Rich’s ideology of any sitting governor in America. TIME magazine even named him one of the five worst governors in the country last year, here http://www.time.com/... Of course, Sanford blamed that dishonor on TIME’s "liberal editors" here http://www.scdp.org/... Yeah, right.
No, we’ve run across the Rich-Sanford connection before, and even reported on it here http://www.dailykos.com/... and here http://www.dailykos.com/... Seems Rich has a special place in his heart for Sanford and South Carolina.
And I wasn’t the only one to catch the connection. Hart Williams nailed down the loose ends here http://www.hartwilliams.com/... and here http://www.hartwilliams.com/... And some of the bloggers in South Carolina – Brad Warthen, Ross Shealy, Laurin Manning – were on this story like white on Adluh flour.
By the way, for those who need a refresher course in TABOR, I’ll happily direct you here http://www.dailykos.com/... Those wondering what TABOR did to Colorado, the only state where TABOR has been adopted and where voters voted to put it in an induced coma for five years, can find those facts here http://www.howierichexposed.com/... In fact, leaders in Colorado are so sick of TABOR that they’re proposing a constitutional convention to eradicate the weed before it can do more damage, as editors of the Denver Post write here http://www.denverpost.com/... TABOR caused, they write, "among other problems, a revenue shortfall for many local school districts." They conclude, "The best solution would be a state constitutional convention, as proposed by Rep. Al White, R-Winter Park. ...Since the five-year Referendum C timeout from TABOR ends in 2010, as does part of Amendment 23, that's the ideal time to ask the voters to clean up our Constitution."
And curious types who wonder how voters felt about TABOR in other states can consult Nebraskans here http://www.notinnebraska.com/... Montanans here http://www.notinmontana.com/... Oregonians here http://www.defendoregon.org/ and Michiganders here http://www.defendmichigan.com/... The Internet is a beautiful research tool.
You know, while we’re here, we might as well do a little "where are they now" exercise with some of Rich’s state-based TABOR warriors from 2006. Shall we begin with Trevis Butcher, Rich’s man in Montana?
Seems Montanans are trying diligently to patch the holes in the fence around their ballot initiative laws, and Butcher is dead-set against it. Those holes allowed him to import scads of non-Montanans (Non-tanans?) to push his odious petitions on unsuspecting Montanans, and he wants to preserve that wormy freedom.
Reporter Dan Testa tells us here http://www.choteauacantha.com/... that several lawmakers are offering good proposals to fix the problem. One asks "signature-gatherers to wear name tags showing where they're from, in hopes that Montanans would think twice before signing petitions championed by out-of-state interests." Another "wants to restrict signature-gatherers to an hourly wage and thereby reduce the temptation to obtain signatures fraudulently." Another bipartisan proposal "would require that signature-gatherers be Montana residents and prohibit payment-per-signature... [Under it,] signature-gatherers would have to swear they gathered the signatures themselves. In addition, all ballots would be required to include short explanations of each initiative's effect."
But, Testa writes, "So far, none of the bills address another problem with ballot measures: the refusal of some initiative backers to reveal who was paying for their campaigns. Last year, the sponsor of three controversial ballot measures, a group called ‘Montanans in Action,’ refused to disclose its funding. Most observers guessed it was a New York millionaire who was backing similar measures in other states."
Butcher isn’t having any of these reforms, Testa writes. He quotes Butcher saying, "What they've got right now is weak and basically window-dressing."
"Payment-per-signature should be allowed, Trevis Butcher said, but signatures should be matched against voter lists to ensure their validity," he adds.
There’s never a dull moment when Butcher’s involved.
And what about Mike Groene, Rich’s man in Nebraska? What’s he up to nowadays?
Well, Groene’s winning points for consistency but not for logic. On February 10, he and a few dozen other residents in the North Platte area met with their newly-elected State Senator Tom Hansen. North Platte Telegraph reporter John Lindeberger tells us here http://www.nptelegraph.com/... that these Nebraskans "shared their opinions and concerns on a wide variety of topics including penalties for sex offenders, ethanol production, higher education, public transportation and the repeal of LB 126, among many others."
And then there was Groene, beating the drum for tax cuts for the wealthy, but now using bit of census data to put forth a cock-eyed argument. "Nebraskans are leaving this state," said Groene. "From most of what I hear, it’s because of the income tax."
Lindeberger writes, "Citing demographic statistics from the 2005 Census, Groene said the state lost 5,000 native Nebraskans and gained 30,000 immigrants from other countries, many who use government-funded services like Medicaid and welfare."
"You’re driving out the successful," Groene tells him. "You’re driving out the people who create wealth."
So, according to Groene, 5,000 average Nebraskans looked at one another, at their homes, at their neighbors, their farms and fields, and they concluded that the dad-gummed income tax is just too much to bear, so they’re left the Cornhusker State for states where they could live as free Americans. But at the same time, 30,000 "immigrants from other countries" looked at one another, at their homes, at their neighbors, their farms and fields, and they concluded that Nebraska, with its exorbitant state income tax, was just too attractive to pass up, so they left their native countries for Nebraska, where they could live as free Americans. Did I get that right?
Sounds a little funny to me. "I want income tax relief," Groene tells Lindeberger. "That’s what we need in this state."
Mmm-hm. Last year, Groene insisted that Rich’s TABOR was what Nebraskans needed, yet when Nebraskans weighed in for themselves, they said they didn’t need it. Well, 70 percent of them said so, anyway. But who’s counting, when you’ve got all these "immigrants from other countries" moving into the Western Platte Taxpayers Association’s back yard?
Finally, the good bloggers at Loaded Orygun give us an update on Greg Moser, the convicted forger and identity thief who was hired to push Rich’s TABOR petitions in Oregon last year. Your humble Sandlapper told you Moser’s story here in July http://www.dailykos.com/... Well, it appears that Moser, aka Ronald Phillips, has what Dubya calls an "entrepreneurial spirit," when it’s pronounced correctly. And he’s using CraigsList, an online clearinghouse and flea market, to build his company.
"GMoser" is advertising at CraigsList for "circulators," people whose responsibilities will include "working directly with the public using the petition process to get various issues on the ballots for November 2008. You will be working outdoors so being used to Oregon weather is a plus. Our organization is not affiliated with any political party. We simply want to make a difference and allow all Oregonians to vote on the ideas that the people of this state are proposing. This is a perfect position for a student or someone seeking a part time or second job (full time hours are available). You make your own hours and work where you want. No experience is required and training will be provided."
"Moser has previously associated himself in Oregon with Sizemore compadre Tim Trickey," Orygun tells us. "Moser allegedly carried petitions previously for the ‘Taxpayer Bill of Rights’ spending cap, term limits, Sizemore's insurance/credit initiative and an eminent domain ban. In other words he tends to gravitate toward the winger petition stuff."
You can catch the whole story here http://loadedorygun.blogspot.com/... but I especially like this note from Moser: "Take Initiative Oregon LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Criminal background checks will possibly be run, but most convictions will not automatically disqualify you (we believe in second and even third chances)."
Now THAT’s compassionate conservatism. Sadly, the Oregon legislature may have a little more to say about it. Says Loaded Orygun, "Initiative reform is one of the issues that the Oregon Legislature is tackling this session. In fact this Wednesday provisions will be discussed which would ban forgers and ID thieves from circulating peitions for five years."
So much for those second and third chances for convicted forgers and identify thieves.
Credits:
COLORADO
http://www.denverpost.com/...
Editors, "State fiscal process needs major overhaul"
GEORGIA
http://savannahnow.com/...
Reporter Brian Hughes, "Group calls for eliminating Georgia income tax"
MONTANA
http://www.choteauacantha.com/...
Reporter Dan Testa, "Bills try to fix initiative process"
NEBRASKA
http://www.nptelegraph.com/...
Reporter John Lindenberger, "Senator Hansen listens to concerns"
OREGON
http://loadedorygun.blogspot.com/...
Loaded Orygun, "Convicted forger starting signature gathering company?"
SOUTH CAROLINA
http://www.thestate.com/...
Editors, "Budget writers propose 6 percent spending cap"
http://www.heraldonline.com/...
Reporter John O’Connor, "House lawmakers to debate budget rules"
http://www.thestate.com/...
Guest columnist Becci Robbins, "Time to really reform politics"