Another Democrat swing and a miss

Remember when the state of Massachusetts raised the sales tax to a whopping 6.25% earlier this year? Tom Menino told us this would raise $47 million dollars for Boston, and a chorus of other tax-and-spend solons sang in our ears about all the needy people the tax-hike windfall would help. And then there was the alcohol sales tax hike, which Boston Democrat Senator Steven Tolman told us would raise $15 million to battle heroin addiction.

Instead, we see today that Westport Representative Michael Rodriguez (D) is not the only person that chose to drive to New Hampshire for their liquor and other taxable goods, and gosh darn it, another Democrat promise is up in smoke. Instead of reaping these huge windfalls, we see today the only addicts being aided by these high taxes are spending-addicted politicians, and Massachusetts will actually have a $100-$200 million revenue loss due to these idiotic policies.

Fast forward to August of 2009, when Mayor McGlynn sent his solicitor before the City Council, a state of Massachusetts revenue forecast in his hand. Raise Medford’s meals taxes, the City Council was told, the State of Massachusetts says we’ll make $175,000. I am sure I was not the only Medford resident whose letter warning of the fool’s gold Beacon Hill was promising went unanswered. And the City Council actually delayed the rubberstamp for 1 week, forcing His Eminence to actually appear before the Council in an unadvertised Tuesday morning meeting; I guess he thought he would just send an aide to impose a new tax on working class citizens, it’s no big deal. When he did appear on that Tuesday, only the half of the Council supporting the measure appeared, and we joined only 30 cities or towns state wide to be snookered into imposing a new tax during a recession.

My questions for Mayor McGlynn now are these; Mayor McGlynn, how much faith do you have in those numbers cooked up by the pro-tax lobby on Beacon Hill today? How much confidence should Medford’s small business owners and taxpayers have in you for imposing them on our community? And finally, most importantly, how many patrons of Medford's restaurants are now eating in Malden or Burlington, and then shopping there afterwards? Not everyone in this city lives on a fixed, tax-funded salary you know.

Nick McNulty
Medford GOP