The American Spectator

Print Email

Text Size

The Spectacle Blog

A ballot initiative to abolish the state income tax was overwhelmingly defeated. When I wrote about the axe-the-tax initiative on the main site, the yes vote was polling within the margin of error. This was threatening to the political establishment, because the same question polled much worse in 2002 but came surprisingly close to passing. So what did the income tax's defenders do? Outspend the abolitionists 10 to 1, leaving nothing to chance this time. They got what they wanted and while I'm sure many Massachusetts voters who think taxes are too high found this idea too extreme or feared their property taxes would go up, by defeating the initiative so handily they have sent Beacon Hill's robber barons the message that they can get away with anything.

Massachusetts voters also, by a closer margin, voted to ban dog racing. Though they did approve marijuana decriminalization, showing that libertarianism isn't completely dead there.