This is one reader’s response to this week’s On the Fly article, “Bredesen: ‘Manage, Don’t Tax,'” which bore the news that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Bredesen, who made several stops in Memphis, doesn’t favor an income tax or any tax increase at all just now. The author, Steve Steffens, circulated the email to his network of fellow Democratic activists. The communication began making waves; so we asked for and received a copy:
“I feel a massive rant coming on, folks. As some of
you may have noticed, I passed out stickers for this
fool at Kennedy Day, only to read this….
“Everyone in the legislature who has studied this time
after time knows that the only long-term fix is a
graduated income tax combined with the elimination of
the Halls tax, reduction of the overall sales tax and
the removal of the sales tax on food and prescription
drugs.
“So what does Bredesen do? He wimps out. I’ll tell you
this much: I WILL NOT SUPPORT ANY CANDIDATE FOR
GOVERNOR WHO DOES NOT SUPPORT THE INCOME TAX. PERIOD.
“It may not be popular, but we know it’s right, and the
people who support it have to do a better job about
getting the message out.
“You do realize that most of those folks who bum-rushed
the capital would have come out ahead under
Rochelle-Head, right? If we are to stop the rightward
lurch of this party, we have to fight tooth and nail
the BIG LIE technique of the Republican Party.
“The real question for 2002 and beyond for the
Tennessee Democratic Party is this: do we have the
guts to stand up and be Democrats, or just warmed-over
Republicans. My theory is that if you only give the
public a choice between pseudo-Republicans and real
Republicans, they’ll take the real ones….
“…[W]here
is Doug Horne on the income tax[?]….”
Steve
