The Club for Growth Slams the Ohio Elections Commission
From the email box:
Club for Growth PAC Responds to OEC Ruling
Washington – Club for Growth President Pat Toomey released the following statement today:
The Ohio Elections Commission ruling today is an unfortunate political act by a tax-funded government entity that is trying to hide tax increases from the general public. The official analysis by the Ohio Legislative Budget office describes the 1998 legislation to put a sales tax hike on the ballot as a tax increase, but the Ohio Elections Commission has reserved for itself the power to tell people when they can call a tax increase a tax increase.
We regret that the Ohio Elections Commission chose to side with a desperate politician who will do anything to hide his tax-and-spend record, but we have faith that voters in Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District will be able to discern Bob Latta’s tall tales from the glaring truth of his tax-hiking record.
Bob Latta voted for higher gas taxes in 2003 and the 2003 Taft budget, containing the largest tax hike in Ohio history, higher taxes on businesses, telephones, dry cleaning, and even snow removal. Perhaps Bob Latta should explain to taxpayers in Ohio why he voted to raise so many taxes, instead of resorting to political gimmicks.
I don’t know if it is a conspiracy. But it is rather bizarre that, when a state representative votes to place an issue on the ballot to ask voters to endorse a tax increase… then that state rep., somehow, isn’t supporting a tax increase. If I was liberal Latta and opposed the tax increase, then wouldn’t I vote against it and keep it off the ballot?
And Latta accomplished nothing with this complaint to hide his record of supporting a whole Latta taxes…
Apparently language matters. I wrote previously about how I thought supporting the Latta complaint would create a needlessly high duty of care for all candidates to avoid negligence. That said, I think you framed your statement poorly.
There’s a difference between “supporting” a tax increase, and voting for one. Those are two separate acts.