The Art of Political Nothingness

May 25, 2010:  Candidates are asked to make pledges all the time. Every special interest group wants your signature not your stump speeches.

So it was no surprise that a "Tax Payer Protection Pledge" would surface, and again, no surprise, it would surface in the Mat-Su Valley.

Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington D.C. based group famous for their no new taxes whatsoever stance, who asks candidates to pledge their loyalty and in theory predispose their decision making authority, made an appearance at the Mat-Su Republican Woman's Club candidate forum in Wasilla on Saturday.

The pledge states: "I will oppose or veto any and all efforts to increase taxes."

What's hypocritical of the group, is the founder Grover Norquist said years ago their goal when President George Bush was elected was to "shrink government down to size you can drown it in a bathtub." Eight years later, government spending was at an all time high along with both current account and cumalative budget debt.

This pledge is laughable from a leadership and public policy stand point. Saying you won't raise revenue to pay for government defies the fact that government spending has grown so dramatically under the same people Norquist and his group supports.

In its application, the pledge lacks all credibility. After all, look at the roster of Alaska politicians who have signed the pledge.  

Governor Sean Parnell has signed, just three years after advocating for ACES, the largest tax increase in Alaska's history. State Senator Fred Dyson signed, even though as a lawmaker he voted for the ACES tax increase. And candidates Eddie Burke and Mead Treadwell signed the pledge, even though Lt. Governor's have as much power over taxation as they do the price of tea in China.

This simplistic pledge does nothing for better government.

It does nothing to address run away government spending while candidates looking for cheap votes, posture with their signature. It does nothing to address the fact that in Alaska, oil pays all of the bills, but yet there is no plan for when production declines past the point of no return. It does nothing to explain how with more Alaskans needing government services, how do we pay for them in the next five years as oil declines.

If we want real leaders, we should elect people who avoid these ridiculously corny pledges and elect those who have a vision that includes how we keep taxes and government spending low, beyond just a name on a worthless sheet of paper.