Candidates and publicly elected officials who sign pledges "NOT" to do something which a person elected to that position are legally required to do are unfit to hold public office. That's not just my position. It's the position of conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia who stated that judges who refuse to impose the death penalty due to their religious beliefs are unfit to hold public office because of their unwillingness to carry out the distasteful duties of their position. The same applies to no tax increase pledges.
The Preamble of the United States Constitution charges government with the task of establishing justice, insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare of the people and securing the blessings of liberty for ourselves and for our descendants. Upon taking public office, those who serve pledge to defend our Constitution and pursue the goals stated therein.
Not raising taxes unnecessarily is a laudable goal for every government official with control over the public purse, but there are times and circumstances when fiscal responsibility and duties imposed by our Constitution require increased taxation. Those unwilling to place the Constitution first have no place in government.
No comments:
Post a Comment