CITIZENS Barbara's
Column Oh, Promise Me ... and I Shall Vote for You My father never broke a promise. It's easy never to break a promise that you
haven't made. Dad's basic rule was this: never promise anything that you aren't certain you can
do. Since the world might end tomorrow, he obviously can't promise to drive us to the
movies next weekend. I learned the lesson by osmosis. Since a promise was too sacred to risk having to
break, it should never be made at all. Even at my weddings, I made it clear that I wasn't
promising to stay married til death did us part. My son was also raised to keep his word
if for some reason he had to give it, and as far as I know he always has. This means that there were at least three generations of us ill-equipped to deal
with politicians. Not that all politicians are untrustworthy. Just as there are birds that don't
fly, there are politicians that don't make or break false promises. The President of the
United States is not among them, nor is Marty "my constituents need me so I can't
keep my term limits pledge" Meehan. Nor are most members of the Massachusetts
Legislature. The "temporary" tax hike passed the House by just four votes; without
the cover of the promise, it would not have become law. All media accounts at the time used the adjective "temporary" to
describe the 5.75 percent rate. Legislators who try to deny the 1989 intent have looked
ridiculous, so some of them now admit that, yes, that tax increase was temporary, but
another hike the next year was not. Other legislators insist that because they weren't in
office at the time, the promise doesn't apply to them. Early this month, shortly after he voted not to keep the income tax promise, Rep.
Jim Fagan (D-Taunton) was outraged because the Massachusetts House voted to break a
promise that certain communities, including his, would never be assessed by the MBTA. Well, what did he expect: honor among thieves? Serves you right, Fagan: tax by the
broken promise, be assessed by the broken promise. Go home and tell your city what its
taxpayers were told about the income tax: a vote from one legislative session cannot bind
future legislative sessions. Remind them about the Indians, who believed the promise made by the Great White
Father that they would keep their land if they surrendered. No one warned them that the
promise was only good until that particular Great White Father died, then it was off to
the reservation forever. Rep. Brad Jones (R-Reading), along with all House Republicans, voted to keep the
Commonwealth's word on the income tax rate cut. During the debate, he argued that, "I
wasn't a member of the House when education reform was approved but I feel obligated to
fund it." Rep. Phil Travis (D-Rehoboth), who was in the Legislature when the tax rollback
promise was made, also argued to keep it. Only five other Democrats joined him in voting
"yes." Almost all the other reps looked for "wiggle room": another tax increase
was passed in 1990 on top of the temporary one; other tax cuts have been passed instead;
legally, legislators cannot bind a future legislature; politically, no one holds
politicians accountable for their lies and broken promises anyhow. If my father were watching the political worms wiggle, he would turn away in
disgust. So should we all. Barbara Anderson is executive
director of Citizens for Limited Taxation. Her syndicated columns appear in the
Salem Evening News, the Lowell Sun, the Tinytown Gazette and other publications around the
state. |