Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney was on the news last night, speaking to a crowd about his latest round of budget cuts. He was challenged on why he’s cutting the budget and not raising taxes to meet the shortfall. His answer, paraphrased, was: “I’m governor now, but I was a businessman. And in business when your company is experiencing a tough time, you don’t raise prices because you drive your customers away. Instead you have to find other ways to keep your company going.”
Excellent analogy. When taxes are raised in the state, all it does is drive more business and more people to other states with lower taxes and a more friendly business environment. Massachusetts isn’t the only place in the country to build a business and other states would gladly welcome them.
Later on in the news broadcast, the anchor introduces a small story by saying that “critics” question Romney’s claim that he is trying not to cut essential services. The “critics” are never named (a sure sign that the critic is the journalist), and the cuts are listed: $10 million from anti-tobacco programs, $1 million from teen pregnancy prevention, $1 million from AIDS prevention, and so on. Do these people know what essential services are? Police, fire, hospitals, schools, water, sewer. All the other stuff is nice to have when you have the money.
It’s like a guy going on welfare and complaining that it doesn’t pay for his essential needs: cigarettes, booze, cable TV. I’m sorry, but your essential needs are food, clothing, and shelter.
