Balance in state government

Date: 10/25/2010

We need to have balance of power in state government by electing independent thinking leaders who support fiscal responsibility by controlling spending and reducing taxes. State government needs to find more efficient ways to spend money in education and essential services and stop creating unnecessary administrative positions and patronage jobs, such as Deval Patrick's appointment of State Senator Marian Walsh to a $175,000 position that has been vacant for 12 years or spending $2,500 a month for a hotel room for "homeless families".

Greg Neffinger, candidate for state representative placed a question on the Nov. 2 ballot, giving voters in the sixth Hampden District a chance to voice their opinion regarding lowering the sales tax to 5 percent. Statewide, there is question to lower the sales tax to 3 percent. I think 3 percent goes too far, and believe Greg has the right approach.

Unfortunately, attempts to control state spending and lower taxes are met with election year scare tactics to cut services and layoffs.

It is a bad idea to raise taxes in a recession. In New England, the states with the highest sales taxes have the highest unemployment rates. Rhode Island has a 7 percent sales tax and the "official unemployment rate" is 12 percent.

Instead, the Democrats in Boston who manage to vote over 98 percent of the time with house leadership say, "If you cut the sales tax, where will we get the revenue from? The simple truth is our economy works best when people have more of their money to spend so businesses can invest and create jobs. Increased economic activity leads to increased tax revenues from sales and income taxes.

How many more jobs need to be lost, businesses closed or homes foreclosed before we stop listening to this foolishness and elect people to represent us in the private sector, instead of big government?

Dan Allie

West Springfield