I was reading factcheck.org today and noticed an article on Huckabee and taxes. The article can be found by clicking here.
The first thing FactCheck.org addresses is a video where Huckabee says he is for a tax increase. Huckabee said the following after a clip of the speech was aired:
That was in the context of a [Arkansas] Supreme Court order that we had to fund education at a higher level. The legislators had come down to the special session and there was all kinds of talk about, well, this tax increase or that revenue possibility is out of the question, dead on arrival. … Now we were at the point, with a court order over our heads – we were going to have to improve our schools.
It is true that Huckabee was incorrect about this. The speech was about an overall budget shortfall and not about education. Huckabee is right in saying that you should look at the entire speech because if you did you would find out why he is qualified for the job of president.
Take a look at the entire speech found here: Part 1 Part 2
The speech talks about how Arkansas was having budget troubles in 2003. After years of cutting and cutting spending Huckabee finally decided you can't cut anymore without "amputating a vital limb". This shows good leadership and proper role of government. You first trim what you can and then when that is not enough you have to raise revenue. People get this crazy idea that taxes are a bad thing but in reality they are the only way we pay for roads and schools. The fact that Huckabee was willing to do what it takes to help his state out shows how he can really get the job done.
The next claim is really no big deal. FactCheck talks about how Huckabee signed a bill taxing nursing home beds at about 6%. As noted it was supported by the Arkansas Health Care Association mainly because Medicare needed to be funded somehow. Once again this shows how Mike Huckabee did what was necessary to provide for its citizens.
Next up is the gas hike:This is actually a misunderstanding of what Huckabee said. It is true that Huckabee "put that out there for the people to decide whether they wanted to affirm it". Perhaps FactCheck doesn't realize that affirming something doesn't have to be before the fact. You can affirm a result after the action has taken place. Huckabee is not claiming here that they voted for it and then it happened. The fact that he later allowed it to be put for a vote does indeed show leadership and the fact that 80% approved it shows he and the legislative body worked the entire time for the people.Huckabee: Yes, I did. Certainly, there was an issue that involved road building and infrastructure on roads and bridges, and I did support that. We added $1 billion to our economy, 40,000 jobs, went from having the worst to the best roads. When we put that out there for the people to decide whether they wanted to affirm it, they did by an 80 percent vote, I would call that leadership.We would call that not true. Huckabee is right that about 80 percent of Arkansas voters approved a referendum to increase funding for highway repair. But the referendum happened after the gas tax hike had already become law.
In the end, what this shows is how Mike Huckabee can work with democrats on getting things passed and thinking in terms of "vertical" politics. You hear the "Club for Growth" drown on about tax increases but sometimes they are needed and sometimes not. Mike has already stated he doesn't believe tax increases are needed in the federal government but rather a reduction in spending. Mike Huckabee did this in Arkansas by first cutting the budget before being forced to raise taxes and that is the true fiscally conservative person. Someone who would rather run a deficit and threaten our country is no real fiscal conservative.
