Last week Mr. Tiahrt sent out a letter to his supporters that said, “I have never voted for a tax increase. Never, not a single time. And you have my word that I will continue to oppose tax increases and support tax cuts in the U.S. Senate.” He continued to criticize his opponent (Rep. Jerry Moran) for continuously voting to increase taxes and for failing to vote for the Bush tax cuts.
On a policy note, this letter makes me wonder what Mr. Tiahrt’s plans are for paying for the massive size of our federal government. One of the most troubling issues that America faces today is the growing national debt, and a budget that is nowhere close to being balanced. If Mr. Tiahrt isn’t willing to raise taxes, what specific government programs does he want to end? Is he willing to end his massive and irresponsible pork projects in an effort to balance the budget?
While the policy implications of Mr. Tiahrt’s letter are certainly questionable, the real problem with this letter is that much of what he writes is completely false. As the Dodge City Globe pointed out, Mr. Tiahrt has actually voted in favor of tax increases as recently as last month (on a measure that Mr. Moran actually voted against). Furthermore, Mr. Tiahrt’s claim that Moran voted against the Bush tax cuts is clearly false. Mr. Moran actually voted FOR the Bush tax cuts.
It’s still relatively early in this campaign, but it has become obvious that there is no lie that Mr. Tiahrt won’t tell in order to get ahead. If Mr. Tiahrt is willing to obviously LIE to his supporters about his and Mr. Moran’s records, what else is he willing to do? If we can’t trust Mr. Tiahrt to be truthful with the people that are already supporting him, how can we trust him to be a truthful representative for all of Kansas?
The truth is that we can’t trust him.
Publius
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Massive and irresponsible pork projects? An earmark is a congressional provision that directs federal agencies to spend funds already authorized. Earmarks don’t increase the federal budget one dime. If the funds aren’t earmarked, the agencies can spend the money any way they see fit. Meaning the executive branch – Obama and his crew. So what Publius has implied is that not only himself, but Jerry believe it is in Kansans best interest to allow the Obama administration to determine where Kansan’s taxes go. As a Kansan, do you want Obama to determine where and how your taxes are to be used?
ReplyDeleteMr. Moran actually voted FOR the Bush tax cuts. Not completely true: Jerry voted against President Bush’s original 726 billion in tax cuts but then later supported the 350 billion tax cut compromise. (RC 82, H Con Res 95, 3/21/03)
In addition, Moran voted to “postpone” all of the Bush tax cuts until 2010 and raise taxes on the top two income tax brackets. (RC 89, H Con Res 393, 3/25/04)
If Mr. Tiahrt is willing to obviously LIE to his supporters about his and Mr. Moran’s records, what else is he willing to do? Let’s review the truth with an example: Moran’s press releases are not always exactly accurate. Moran and Co. claimed in a Kansas Liberty story that he was the first congressman to "promote legislation attempting to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation which declared greenhouse gasses a threat to public health." Actually, he wasn't. He wasn't even a sponsor of the bill. He was one of 91 co-sponsors - as was Tiahrt. In a correction to the original story, Lindsey Trent told the publication, "The press release identified Moran as the "sponsor" because the office often uses "sponsor and co-sponsor interchangeably" in order to "help the everyday Kansas reader better understand Washington lingo." So what is Jerry actually implying about Kansans? I do not believe Kansas voters struggle distinguishing between sponsor and co-sponsor.
If we can’t trust Mr. Moran to be truthful with the people that are already supporting him, how can we trust him to be a truthful representative for all of Kansas? The truth is that we can’t trust Jerry.