Thursday, December 2, 2010

Beebe to Arkansans: You want your roads fixed, vote for tax increases!

That's right Arkansas!

The governor the press repeatedly told you was a conservative during the months leading up to last month's elections says he'll "fight any attempt" to pay for necessary road repairs without raising taxes. However, he is offering Natural State voters the opportunity to hand over more of their money to the state if they want their potholes filled.

Beebe's demand that Arkansans pay more in taxes comes in the wake of the final report released by the Blue Ribbon Highway Commission. The report is the culmination an 18 month study to find ways to fund repairs of Arkansas' crumbling highways. But, Americans for Prosperity--Arkansas points out the commission offered one suggestion that would not involve the confiscation of more taxpayer dollars by the state.

One of the five recommendations to pay for fixing Arkansas' roads suggested shifting money from the state's general fund to cover the necessary repairs, instead of raising taxes. According to the Associated Press article linked above, this is the only proposal in the report Beebe has emphatically refused to consider...promising to "fight" any attempt to repair highways without raising taxes.

The supposed "conservative" Democrat governor appears to embrace the very "liberal Democrat" philosophy that any good idea involves raising taxes! Call Governor Beebe and tell him Arkansans can't afford tax increases of any kind in the midst of an economic downturn.