Tax Cutting Off Their Head

It's been a while since we trained our collective ire on the idiot Governor of Nebraska, Dave Heineman - who we doubt, after that comment, will ever invite us to any events at the Governor's mansion. If our goal was to grow a better relationship with him, you could even say our initial comment would be akin to cutting off our nose to spite our face.

Of course, after the proposals Gov. Heineman came out with in last month's 'State of the State address', we think he knows all too well what cutting off one's nose to spite one's own face feels like.

In case you missed it, Nebraska's Governor Dave Heineman gave Nebraska's 'State of the State' address to open the 2012 legislative session in Nebraska. In his address, Heineman proposed MASSIVE tax cuts, including the elimination of the Inheritance Tax, as well as cuts to Medicare.

In short, the Governor's proposals are ridiculous, especially in light of the massive budget cuts and fiscal struggles the state has faced over the last few years.

We're willing to acknowledge the Governor's claims about Nebraska's overall economy - that, in comparison to many places in the U.S. that took a significantly harder hit than Nebraska did during the Lesser Depression, Nebraska has a relatively low unemployment rate, a balanced budget, and a respectable cash reserve.

That doesn't mean that Nebraska's cities and counties are willing or able to take a massive hit to their own revenue streams at this point in time. Yet, by proposing to get rid of the Inheritance Tax, slash corporate taxes, and cut other tax rates, that's exactly what Heineman is suggesting Nebraskans do; hurt their own counties and towns, so that well-to-do Nebraskans wouldn't have to pay as many of those pesky tax dollars to the state.

Of course, their local property taxes would have to go up with double-digit increases. But, hey...! Governor Heineman and the state senators couldn't then be blamed for all those damn high taxes! If road maintenance, or courthouse hours would need to be eliminated? That wouldn't be the Governor's problem.

If our tone seems a bit sarcastic today, excuse us if we're both angered and confused.

The reasons for anger should be easy to see. The Governor's proposals are ludicrous, and would only really make political sense if he was attempting to appeal strongly to the extremists on the far right of his party, in a year when he was running for re-election.

Heineman is term-limited, however - which is where our confusion sets in.

For a major political figure who can't go any higher in Nebraska politics, Heineman appears to be carrying an unusual amount of political water for the Republican Party. If we didn't know better, we might even think Heineman's true goal was a cut of a different kind - like a cut of political power at the national level of his party.

To many Nebraskans, even Republicans, that tactic reeks of the same cut-and-run political style other former famous Nebraska Republicans have used to get themselves cushy jobs outside of the state.

Regardless of what Heineman's true intent is, we hope that Nebraskans look hard at the damage that has already been done by years of tax cutting, without investing in our communities.

We just hope they don't buy the ridiculous slab of spoiled bacon the Governor is trying to peddle.