Romney's the projected winner.

Labels: massachusetts

Senator John McCain, by his own admission, is not the sharpest tack in the shed on economic issues. So when McCain attacks Romney via mailers in Michigan accusing Romney of raising taxes by $700 million, it's a good idea to check the REAL numbers.

$260 million -- Romney's fee hikes on targeted services...like highway billboards, duplicate copies of driver's licenses, bar exams, registering a boat, installing underground water tanks, filing a court case, transporting hazardous waste, etc. This represents less than 10% of the $3 billion deficit Romney closed in his first year.
$240 million -- Fee hikes that were passed PRIOR to Romney's first year in office, yet did not take effect until Romney was IN office.
$210 million -- Romney closed corporate tax loopholes...for example, banks that did some real estate as part of their business were claiming to be "real estate lenders" as their primary business and were thereby qualifying for a major tax shelter. Closing the corporate tax loopholes are simply enforcing existing tax code as it was intended...to call this a tax hike is like calling it a sentencing when you send an escaped convict back to prison.

Add all three up, and there's your $700 million. Romney's contribution is only about $470 million, NOT $700 million, and NONE of it can honestly be considered tax hikes.

Furthermore, the $260 million of fee hikes that Romney approved were more than offset by various TAX CUTS he implemented...in other words, better than a "revenue neutral" shift of taxes to service fees, which any conservative should like. The service fees were generally in line with national and local inflationary trends, as well as making the prices more reflective of the actual costs. Fees generally make accounting in government more transparent, as you can see where the money is going...and there's really no good reason to subsidize a service cost below its market value anyway.

Romney's fiscal record on cutting spending is unimpeachable. And here's the list of Romney's tax cuts, the biggest of which was his reversal of the $250 million retroactive capital gains tax in 2005.

CAPITAL GAINS TAXES
INVESTMENT TAX CREDIT
PROPERTY TAX RELIEF
2004 SALES TAX HOLIDAY
2005 SALES TAX HOLIDAY
BIOTECH MANUFACTURING JOBS TAX REBATE
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT
LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TAX RELIEF
COMMUTER TAX RELIEF
VETERANS TAX RELIEF
HOME HEATING OIL DEDUCTION/ENERGY EFFICIENT CREDIT
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
FIRE SAFETY TAX DEDUCTION
CONFORMITY TO FEDERAL INCOME TAX CODE
MEDICAL DEVICE TAX CREDIT
MOTION PICTURE TAX CREDIT
BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT EXTENTION
HISTORIC REHABILITATION TAX CREDIT

Labels: fees, massachusetts, mitt romney, Taxes

Yesterday we brought you the new TV ad that the Romney campaign had put together. Now we bring you the facts behind the ad.

What were the odds against Romney in Massachusetts?

The Economist, On Governor Romney: "Being The Republican Governor Of Such A Liberal State As Massachusetts Must Be Like Swimming Through Sugary Sludge." "Being the Republican governor of such a liberal state as Massachusetts must be like swimming through sugary sludge. Everywhere he looks, he is surrounded by sweet-talking liberal legislators, judges and citizens." (Editorial, "Mitt Romney And Gay Marriage," The Economist, 6/30/05)

There Are Almost 3 Times As Many Registered Democrats As Republicans In Massachusetts:

* Registered Democrats: 1,526,711

* Registered Republicans: 532,319 (Massachusetts Secretary Of State Website, www.sec.state.ma.us, Accessed 5/21/07)

The Massachusetts Legislature Is Comprised Of Over 85% Democrats. (Maria Cramer and John C. Drake, "Republican Lawmakers Hit Historic Low Mark," The Boston Globe, 11/8/06)

Against Those Odds, Governor Romney Enacted A Conservative Agenda:

Gov. Romney Turned The Legislature's $250 Million Retroactive Capital Gains Tax Increase Into A $250 Million Tax Refund. ("Romney Signs Bill Abolishing Retroactive Tax," Boston Business Journal, 12/8/05)

Gov. Romney Closed An Inherited $3 Billion Shortfall Without Tax Increases. (Pam Belluck, "Romney Candidacy Puts Massachusetts Economy In Spotlight," The New York Times, 3/16/07)

Gov. Romney Has Championed Traditional Marriage, And Fought Efforts To Redefine The Institution. (John DiStaso, "Romney: 1 Man 1 Woman," The [Manchester NH] Union Leader, 4/4/07)

Gov. Romney Enforced A 1913 Law Preventing Out-Of-State Same-Sex Couples From Marrying In Massachusetts. (Pam Belluck, "Romney Won't Let Gay Outsiders Wed In Massachusetts," The New York Times, 4/25/04)

Gov. Romney Funded Abstinence Education For The First Time In Massachusetts' Classrooms. (Andrea Estes And Tracy Jan, "State Widens Teaching Of Abstinence," The Boston Globe, 4/21/06)

Gov. Romney Vetoed A Bill To Expand Stem Cell Research That Included Embryo-Destructive Methods. ("Massachusetts' Gov. Romney Delivers On Promise To Veto Stem Cell Bill," The Associated Press, 5/27/05)

Gov. Romney Vetoed Legislation That Would Have Provided For The "Morning After Pill" Without A Prescription. (Governor Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, "Why I Vetoed The Contraception Bill," The Boston Globe, 7/26/05)

Gov. Romney Filed And Promoted A Bill Protecting Religious Liberties. (Brooke Donald, "Romney Files 'Religious Freedom' Bill On Church And Gay Adoption," The Associated Press, 3/15/06)

Gov. Romney Took Action To Enforce Immigration Laws. (Michael Levenson and Jonathan Saltzman, "Troopers Can Arrest Illegal Immigrants In Romney Deal," The Boston Globe, 12/3/06)

Massachusetts Liberals Are Trying To Roll Back Gov. Romney's Conservative Record:

Among The Romney Accomplishments Now Under Attack By Democrats In 2007:

* Gov. Romney's Fiscally-Responsible Budget Cuts Amounting To $383 Million Were Restored. (Casey Ross, "Deval Flips Mitt's Cuts," The Boston Herald, 1/6/07)

* Gov. Romney's Blocking Of Out-Of-State Gay Marriages Was Reversed. (Andrea Estes and Lisa Wangsness, "26 Gay Marriages Set To Be Recorded," The Boston Globe, 4/2/07)

* Gov. Romney-Supported Ballot Measure Banning Same-Sex Marriage Is Being Targeted For Defeat. (Frank Phillips and Lisa Wangsness, "Same-Sex Marriage Ban Advances," The Boston Globe, 1/3/07)

* Gov. Romney's Abstinence Education Funding For Schools Was Targeted For Elimination. (Lisa Wangsness, "Patrick Seeks To Forgo Grant," The Boston Globe, 4/24/07)

* Gov. Romney's Restrictions On Stem Cell Research Were Reversed. (Stephen Smith, "Governor Wants End To Curb On Stem Cells," The Boston Globe, 3/30/07)

* Gov. Romney's Plan To Have State Police Arrest Illegal Immigrants Was Reversed. (Casey Ross, "Gov: States Won't Nab Illegal Aliens," The Boston Herald, 1/12/07)

* Gov. Romney's Initiative To Reform The State's Auto Insurance Industry Was Halted. (Bruce Mohl, "Patrick Halts Romney's Auto Insurance Revamp," The Boston Globe, 1/20/07)

* Gov. Romney's Plan To Rescind Turnpike Tolls Was Stopped. (Frank Philips, "Romney Pick Resigns From Pike Board," The Boston Globe, 2/14/07)

Labels: massachusetts, record

Many thanks to MMM reader Michael T. for pointing this out!

That's what several reports are saying! We noted in January that the AEI had some great things to say about it. Now we have this report.

Labels: healthcare, massachusetts, romneycare

The American Enterprise Institute today published a newsletter today citing praise for the Massachusetts health insurance mandate that Governor Romney signed into law last April. Here are some excerpts from the newsletter:

Quick description of the program:

A program called the Connector makes low-cost insurance available to small businesses and those without employer-sponsored coverage. Employers are able to offer their workers the option of paying premiums for insurance with pretax dollars. The mandate is intended to provide taxpayer savings by reducing the amount spent on emergency care and hospital services not covered by insurance.

Mark V. Pauly, an AEI adjunct scholar from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, evaluated the study and concluded:

If you want to produce greater equality in an unequal world, you need unequal plans, he said. A good program to help the uninsured will not attempt to offer universal health insurance,

The Urban Institute's John Holahan emphasized:

that mandates on individuals are better than those on employers. He also warned that other states attempting similar programs should beware of special interests: hospitals, insurance companies, health-care providers, and advocacy groups. "Interest groups are incredibly strong," he said. The Massachusetts plan is superior, he added, because it offers educated and structured choices.

John McClaughry of the Ethan Allen Institute spoke about personal responsibility in health insurance.:

He praised the Massachusetts plan because it deals with the uninsured by sending them out into the market, thus reinforcing personal responsibility. Each individual has to decide his own risk level and can purchase insurance to meet his own needs. The Connector is ingenious, he added, because through it individuals and small businesses capture the deduction for health insurance that they could never have captured on their own

Holly Benson, Florida's secretary of business and professional regulation, said:

...the Massachusetts plan offers incentives for preventive care, thus driving down health-care costs. She also noted that insurance companies are responding to mandates and the growing market of uninsured young people by developing low-cost insurance products. Benson praised the virtues of the Connector in offering portability in an era of frequent career transitions. "If you give the private sector enough room to innovate," she concluded, "[it] will find ways to make money and reduce the overall cost of health-care systems."

Labels: healthcare, massachusetts