These are classic discussions published back in January 2007
Flat Like a Marble
Just 4 months ago, Utah got a flat tax.
Now, people are getting frisky to layer onto that infant “flat” tax things like “charitable contributions, mortgage interest, medical expenses, etc.”
The argument is that those items will bring 80% of filers into the “flat” tax system. Maybe they will, but let’s please stop calling it a “flat” tax. We’re simply (after just 4 months) moving toward a rehash of our old system but with a sexier rate up front and uglier deductions on back.
States are laboratories for democracy. In the broader national debate, score this one Neal Boortz – one, Steve Forbes – zero. Boortz argues that the flat tax concept won’t work, because politicians can’t resist layering exemptions and deductions onto any tax that is temporarily flattened.
Vouchers — Committee Hearing Tuesday
The voucher bill will have a hearing in the House Education Committee Tuesday at 3 p.m. (room 135). Audio will be available on the Legislature’s website.
I’ve had several representatives tell me that they are following the dialogue here and on Politicopia. Two have told me that the dialogue determined their vote. So, keep the cards and letters coming in.
UPDATE (later): Thanks, Tyler. 3 p.m.
Also, assuming the bill does pass committee and that it advances to the floor, it likely will be put on the Time Certain calendar for Thursday at 10:30.
UPDATE (1/31/07): Make that Friday at 11:00.
Early Intervention Funding
The D-News has an article on my bill to increase early intervention funding $2.5 million. Initially, I proposed to fund the increase with a penny-per-beer tax increase. Now it would be funded by creating a restricted account to capture revenue that already is being generated by the existing tax and is simply falling into the general fund.
The article says, “The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, said he got rid of the tax increase when he discovered the already existing surplus.” We can run with that; however, it might be more accurate to say that I decided to go with the restricted account when I realized the increased tax was dead in the water.
House Rules Committee — Distributed Responsibility
Two nice articles were written this weekend about the way the House Rules Committee is functioning this session. Bob Bernick writes in the D-News, “Urquhart’s actions ‘gives every member here some real power,’ said committee member Rep. Jackie Biskupski, D-Salt Lake. ‘It is much easier to get Democrats’ bills out now’ for a hearing.”
Scott Johnson writes in The Spectrum, “And as the powerful House Rules chairman, Urquhart has given committee members the authority to add bills to the Rules agenda, once set largely by the chairman. ‘I’m turning the keys over to the kids,’ he said. ‘If I can get them to help me think about how to distribute bills in the best way and how to keep the members happy, then, of course, I’m just going to use their great skills to get this job done.’”
By distributing the opportunity, I’ve simply distributed the workload and the responsibility. Because each member knows that his/her nominations can be... (read more)
The Internet Battles Disinformation on Vouchers
Some of the most informative exchanges of political information occur in correspondence that typically is never seen by the public. I’d like Politicopia to reveal some of that information to the public.
I’ll start with an email exchange I had Thursday with Kim Burningham, Chair of the Utah State School Board, concerning vouchers. [At the top of the Politicopia page I link to, click on "voucherletterjan25.pdf"].
You can look at the emails and make up your own mind. From my perspective, Chairman Burningham’s financial arguments seem vacuous. If there are no adverse financial impacts, that issue should be conceded, so that the debate can focus more keenly on the other issues that are being raised. Unless, of course, those issues also are vacuous and the point of voucher opponents is to blur the debate rather than focus the debate.
Check This Out!
Utah State professor David Wiley posted information on Politicopia about OpenCourseWare. Wow! Colleges and universities use OCW to deliver course lectures and materials to citizens of the state who help fund those course and to citizens of the world. Talk about ripping down walls!
Here is Utah State’s OCW homepage.
The History of Politicopia
People have asked how I started blogging and how Politicopia was created. I’ve posted the history over at Politicopia.
One of These Is Not Like the Others