Also, what is disingenuous about ATTA is that all year long they remain silent on the type of growth (mostly residential) that is forcing county taxpayers to pay more for roads, schools and services. If they are so concerned about the tax rate, why do they wait until budget season every year to fire up their whining.

Thanks, as always. I have no doubt that the ATTA is a partisan effort (most such things are) – but I stipulated that up front and hope that others recognize their perspective.

What is valid is the call for government to be accountable and to not diminish the fact that for some, twenty bucks a month can be a *lot* of money.

We’re all dealing with higher prices for gas and milk and so far we’re making due without simply taking more from others. That is the message I hoped to convey with the post.

“Two of three presidential hopefuls have promised to increase federal income taxes, further reducing
discretionary spending. Higher federal capital gains tax rates will reduce the number of people taking capital gains; hence there will be less state income tax revenue.”

This is so wrong on a number of counts. The easiest way to see that ATTA is not telling the full story is to note that when Clinton raised taxes on the wealthy, discretionary spending went UP, capital gains and indeed all forms of federal (and state) revenue went UP.

When it comes to taxes, ATTA is oversimplifying in a way that’s really dangerous. There are many factors that contribute to economic growth. Taxes are just one, and not a huge one. Long-term interest rates are a much more significant driver of growth. Even more significant is wage growth — of which, I would note, we have had very little under the present administration, save for those at the very top of the wealth scale.

I’m all for efficiency in government. But I have my doubts that at the end of the day, ATTA is about “efficiency”. Really, it’s about small government. Personally, I think small government has proved its inadequacy for a country of 300 million people w/a $13 trillion economy. (You want to see small government in action? Take a look at post-Katrina New Orleans.) That said, the size of government is something about which reasonable people can disagree. What bothers me about ATTA is the attempt to cloak a GOP small-government agenda in the non-partisan disguise of “efficiency”.

All ATTA leaders are unpaid and all contributions go directly towards educating the public about county government’s operations and marketing ATTA’a efforts.

We encourage Albemarle County taxpayers to come out to the final budget meeting this Wednesday, 6pm, at the County Office building on Ridge McEntire. See you there!