Lincoln Chafee is a real politician

First off, Lincoln Chafee has a great name and an even greater nickname.  Second, he looks like Steve Doocey’s twin brother.  Third, he’s running as an independent candidate for overnor of Rhode Island.

Only that last fact is of interest to this blog, and only because Chafee is undertaking a serious conversation about the difficult realities of our economic distress.  In other words, he is letting voters know that he will raise taxes, albeit just slightly.  From his campaign website:

To help close a budget deficit, Chafee suggests examining a one percent sales tax on items currently exempt from the existing seven percent sales tax. He believes that property taxes are the hardest tax to pay so he’s opposed to passing the state’s problems down to the municipalities. You pay income tax based on the rise and fall of your personal income. On the other hand, you have choices on what you buy and therefore how much you pay in sales tax. If you lose your job or experience other misfortunes, property taxes are still due and your home is put at risk. For businesses owners and renters, property tax affects your monthly payment as well.  He would also consider repealing the flat tax, or at the very least, delaying the next scheduled rate reduction to help close the state’s relentless budget gap. When the economy improves, Chafee backs lowering taxes on personal income and corporate profits.

According to the New York Times, Linc is the only candidate with the courage to be honest with the populace ahead of the election.  Even the Democrat candidate (the current Treasurer!) claims to not need to raise taxes: “The leading Democrat in the Rhode Island governor’s race at the moment, General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio, summarized his pitch to voters at a recent forum this way: ‘If you want to pay more taxes, support Senator Chafee. If you don’t want to pay taxes, support me.’”  Chafee isn’t going to play posturing charades, however, retorting, “This is no time for nonspecifics.  Are you going to let the murderers out of the correctional institution? Are you going to put Granny and Grandpa out of the nursing home? Are you going to close a state park or two or three? Tell us something.”  Unfortunately, voters of the last 30 years haven’t rewarded honest talkers, and it’s hard to see how Chafee will win as long as we prefer to vote for what we want to hear and not what we know is right.

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