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After writing my post on Question 1, when I urge others not to vote “yes” in a knee-jerk reaction to the whole idea of taxes, it occurred to me that I could be accused of the same thing in my support for the income tax and the idea of taxes in general. My position is that taxes pay for what we need as a society, for civilization – good schools, police protection, fire safety, sidewalks, clean streets and a social safety net that protects all of us in case of hard times. In each case, it would be much less cost-effective and efficient to take care of these issues on our own. Spreading the cost among many achieves economies of scale that the individual cannot command. As for tax cuts fueling economic growth, that pipe-dream just won’t die. The Libertarian-backed group behind Question 1 (in 2002 and 2008) gives the usual reasons reasons to get rid of the Income Tax, they state:

3. In productive, private hands this $11 Billion a year will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in Massachusetts.

As it happens, an article in the Sunday Globe Ideas section addressed this very idea, saying that while the belief that big government and taxes stifle economic growth is widely held, there is no hard evidence to support it. Recent studies by mainstream economists seem to show just the opposite is true, and that government interventions and programs have been ‘vital contributors to growth’ through investments in the railroads, land purchases, R&D, and more. Currently, the author concludes, the lack of belief in government (think New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina for the end result of that kind of thinking) has stymied the kind of investments that need to be made in infrastructure, healthcare and education. He concludes:

a nation steeped in antigovernment economics, the idea that government cannot be of help – or that taxes are not worth paying – is now seriously jeopardizing its future. There is no rich nation in the world today, including America, that has grown wealthy without significant government involvement. And there will be no rich nation in the future that can stay wealthy without robust government, either.

There are only 57 days until the election, and while the national contest is riveting all eyes, let’s not forget that an important and potentially damaging referendum is on the ballot in our own state. Question 1, if passed, will repeal the State income tax. This seems ludicrous, given the fiscal crisis underway in many cities and towns, but it’s true. The last time this question was on the ballot was 2002, and it came close to passing with 45% of the vote. Now, times are tough and there is a fear that things might get even worse before we see improvement. People might be inclined to vote for Question 1, and get some short-term relief from higher gas and food prices. Even though the tax burden has declined in Massachusetts (see “Taxachusetts No More”), anit-tax sentiment is still high, and saying “no” to taxes is a knee-jerk reaction for many voters as well as politicians. But, as Governor Patrick said yesterday, “the services people say they want cost something.” This proposal will eliminate 40% (more than $12 billion) of the State’s revenues and will most certainly reduce local aid. Even the Republican leadership is opposing this measure which is once again sponsored by the Libertarian party, with Senator Richard Tisei (Republican, Wakefield) saying, “There are a lot of essential services we would not be able to perform….It’s too extreme.”

A reader commented on my previous post about the upcoming course at the Revolving Museum taught by Bob Forrant and referenced CultureCount as a great resource. Created by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), CultureCount seeks to quantify the contributions made by creative and cultural oranizations. A similar effort was made by The Non-Profit Alliance of Greater Lowell who commissioned their own study a few years ago. Called “Community Threads,” the publication highlights the integral role played in our community by Non-Profits (including cultural groups), who meet the critical needs of many diverse groups while also providing gainful employment to local residents. CultureCount takes this effort to a new level with a tool called the “CultureCount Impact Calculator,” which is being piloted in Massachusetts. This interactive tool will “demonstrates the economic impact of the nonprofit cultural sector and then estimates how changes in the sector affect a community or region’s employment, income, and property values.” Given the troubling reappearance of Question 1 on this year’s ballot, these types of studies and statistical analyses could be extremely helpful in showing people how important the non-profit sector is to the region as a whole.

Today’s Boston Globe had an interesting column by Adrian Walker in support of Election Day Registration. I agree with Walker: “The real issue here isn’t lack of money, or fraud. It’s inertia. There just isn’t any sense of urgency about voting issues. The way people register and vote now has worked just fine for the people who already hold office. Why change it now?” In an earlier post, I discussed reasons why Massachusetts should join many other states, including neighbors New Hampshire and Maine, and allow people to register AND vote on election day. According to this New England Cable News interview between Chet Curtis and Avi Green, executive director of MassVOTE, a non-partisan voters rights organization; Massachusetts ranks 21^st in voter turnout. (Green does a decent job of addressing opposing concerns during the interview.)

As our own recent local elections have shown, we in the Merrimack Valley are not strangers to voter apathy. What is strange, however, is the apparent silence from the Lowell Sun on this issue. Despite its regular lament on poor voter turnout, which is often accompanied by a suggestion for an appointed school committee as if that would induce more folks to vote (a pet peeve of mine), the local paper has not written one editorial on Election Day Registration. Meanwhile, the bill languishes while the clock is ticking to pass this legislation in time for the upcoming presidential election. I heard our own State Senator Steve Panagiatakos is working out a compromise to make it happen—thanks Steve! But from where I sit, S2514 should pass: We’re looking at voter increases of about 250,000 more young people, minorities, and perhaps even those who had given up on the system. The fact is, without voters, we don’t have a democracy, and this bill will help bring voters back. Then again, we could just go to appointed school committees (selectmen, councilors, whatever) and forget the whole election thing…

LiL has also written on this issue with 30 comments responding to this post.