I found Walt Carlson’s perspective in his
Growing up in New Hampshire in the 1960s and ’70s, I recall that there were RINOs and conservatives. RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) were representative of the Walter Peterson/McLane wing of the party (Concord liberals, attorneys, state employees).
New Hampshire natives outside of Concord didn’t care what a candidate promised; they cared about the honesty, character and fiscal responsibility of those they elected. Conservatives were in the majority, defeating Peterson as he renounced his pledge to veto a sales and income tax.
Working at the New Hampshire Highway Hotel through high school and college I had the opportunity to listen to local and national candidates, N.H. SEA, N.H. NEA and many other political groups as that was the place to hold meetings and campaign events. I could see clearly which candidates had passion and cared about the people and which candidates were in it for other reasons. I watched and listened as members of the SEA and NEA calling for an income and sales tax, asking their members to vote “in your own self-interest.”
RINOs were supporters of expanded state government, shrinking the legislature to “get more things done” and promises that instituting an income and sales tax would reduce property taxes, a promise made in every other state and never proved to have worked long term.
Carlson mentions the failure of tax cuts under the Reagan administration. I was at the beginning of my career when Reagan was elected and, much more importantly, graduated in the aftermath of the Carter administration. Jobs were scarce and jobs in your chosen major were nearly nonexistent in 1975-1976. College grads took what they could to establish themselves and similar to the last few years, graduates were disheartened by the lack of opportunity in a stagnant economy.
During the Reagan years, the employment market opened up after tax cuts. I remember that when Reagan cut taxes, I received a $600 check from the IRS and $20 in my weekly paycheck the first year of the cut. With a rent of $280 and a car payment of $54, that was quite a windfall.
The Boston Globe employment section exploded with job postings, and opportunities were everywhere. Between 1977 and 1984 my annual income doubled, as did the incomes of my friends and colleagues. Employers had to compete to hire the best; companies stepped up to the plate with higher wages and better benefits in order to retain their employees.
People employed in the public sector may have a different view as they were not in a competitive market. Carlson is correct that there is a “multiplier effect” that does not just happen when government spends on infrastructure but when businesses grow, and the effect is even greater.
Reagan’s critical mistake was allowing the federal bureaucracy to grow and not rein in spending. He compromised with a Democratic House and Democratic Senate and allowed unbridled spending, creating record deficits.
Carlson talks about the “average Joe.” Beyond attorneys, doctors, Wall Street brokers and other highly paid professions, the majority of us are an “average Joe” and the best way to watch out for us is to cut our taxes. Imagine how a family of four could benefit from an extra $2,000 to $3,000 per year.
Contrary to progressive narrative, companies benefiting from increased taxpayer discretionary spending would not be “hoarding” but would be spending on expansion, creating jobs in construction, management, etc. Businesses don’t survive on same year-over-year sales without a strategy to expand and find new sources of revenue. Cutting the corporate tax rate will also bring billions if not trillions of dollars back to this country from overseas. That infusion of money into the economy will create jobs, add to the tax coffers and allow us to invest in much-needed infrastructure.
Progressives can cite statistics and analyses by pundits and academia but the reality on the ground of us “average Joes” is what really matters. If a family can afford that new refrigerator, clothes for their children or to pay for their heat through the winter because of a few extra dollars extra in their paycheck, then aren’t they better off?
The Republican Party didn’t leave Walt Carlson, RINOs left the Republican Party. They have found their proper place as Democrats.
(Bill Bunker lives in Barnstead.)