“Government cannot make man richer, but it can make him poorer.” Ludwig Von Mises.

Lane/Tommy: Since our governor and legislature have promised tax relief for the past couple of years, it begs the question – how long will we wait for our tax relief? We have listened to hollow promises and read misleading legislation that supposedly was assigned to give us tax relief. Now the ball is in the hands of our Democrat-controlled legislature and governor. They will be the ones to receive either praise or blame if no tax relief is forthcoming in the near future.

Lane: Who knows how big of a so-called structural gap Maine has in its budget for the next fiscal year. Guesses have put it at more than $500 million. Please remember, that is before the discussion begins over Maine’s unfunded mandates like the increase in teacher pay and medical benefits for retired police and firemen. I have seen projections that those costs alone could be more than $1 billion. We all know that our leaders in Augusta never like to use the term of budget cuts. Are we once again going to be hoodwinked into believing that tax relief only comes from increasing taxes. In other words, are we going to pay for our own tax relief once again?

Tommy: During the last budget season legislators refused to use the word deficit. Some genius came up the term of structural gap. Will Augusta become Maine’s black hole where all our money disappears? Will they be legislators or used car salesmen this year? You have seen them in action in the past with those famous words that the budget was cut! Will they use that old trick of marking up the used car by $1,000 and then slashing that price by $500 claiming this is a real deal? Let’s face it, they have never cut a budget, be it Augusta or Windham, because all they have cut in the increase that they wanted. I ask you, in Windham has the budget ever been decreased?

Lane/Tommy: The buzz phrase right now is reducing our property tax burden, which is something we have been promised in the past but has never been fully delivered. How could we have received tax relief if the Windham and state of Maine budgets have increased? Please remember our governor raised fees while proclaiming he was giving us tax relief. We have heard the rumors of property tax relief and lowering the income tax burden. We note that there has been no mention of budget decreases. So how will tax relief be forthcoming? We sense a dastardly scheme where the Maine sales tax will be broadened to include virtually everything including labor and services and those taxes will then go to tax relief of some form. Maybe?

Lane: What I smell here is rat! Let’s say the sales tax is broadened and you have a real bad day where everything goes wrong. You have an emergency visit to the dentist. The bill is $1,000 dollars. The tax on that bill is $50. Then your car goes kaput. The bill is $500 and you pay an additional $25 in taxes. Oops, you forgot to call for fuel oil and now you must pay $200 and an additional $10 in taxes. Now return to your normal schedule for a haircut, take your pet to the vet, your plumbing springs a leak and then, to add insult to injury, your roof springs a leak. How much do you think broadening the sales tax will cost you? I would have to own my own newspaper to print a list of goods and services that we will have to pay a sales tax on. My personal feeling is that Augusta will reap the gold mine while we continue to get the shaft.

Tommy: Prior to the last election, I attended many debates regarding taxes and tax relief. I asked a state senator point blank about his feelings on tax relief and spending reform. He informed me that reforming spending and taxes will take time. When asked how long it will take he bragged on how good LD1 is and that it will take several years to be fully implemented. My next question was if LD1 was so good, why does it have to be fixed. His reply was that LD2 will take care of that! Then I asked him how long people can afford to wait for tax relief. His answer was that tax relief takes time. Can you afford to wait for LD 3001? I think not!

Lane and Tommy have set up shop on an oil rig they commandeered in Casco Bay. Since declaring independence from Maine, they are seeking government assistance to start an offshore casino.