Ed Rendell, clearly the manliest governor east of the Mississippi, thinks that Pennsylvania legislators should “man up” and vote to saddle their constituents with millions in higher taxes. Rendell proposes at least $52 million in new taxes, mostly on natural gas and tobacco, to close a $1.3 billion budget deficit. But Pennsylvania lawmakers have nothing to fear in voting for these massive tax hikes because according to Rendell, “Not one incumbent who voted for (the 2003 income tax hike) lost. I was [re-]elected by a margin of almost 22 percent, probably the largest (margin) in modern history in Pennsylvania. So, man up.”
Really? Rendell and Pennsylvania lawmakers might want to think twice about the fallout from voting for tax hikes. Today’s “Political Diary” column in the Wall Street Journal is all about how the Minority Leader in the California Assembly lost his leadership position and then his election after voting for a package of tax hikes. From California to Virginia, there are plenty of examples of lawmakers who have lost re-election from voting for higher taxes instead of reducing spending to more manageable levels, which is what NTU recommends. Lawmakers in Harrisburg should keep that in mind when these tax increases come up for a vote.