You may have heard the news about John Campbell's property tax problem. His house was on the delinquent tax list and it was due to go up for tax sale. He paid the taxes Tuesday and resolved the problem.
Here's the thing, though. I never would have heard about this if I hadn't gotten an e-mail at the office from Pat McDonald, chair of the state Republican Party. From what I can tell, they sent their press release to all the registered lobbyists in the state.
Campbell has come clean about this situation and has admitted that he had trouble making his payments because his income from his law practice wasn't enough to pay his taxes.
He is making a financial sacrifice to serve the people of Vermont, and it's personal.
The Republicans? Using his financial troubles to make a cheap political point?
That's very, very low.
The head of the Vermont Republican Party issued a statement saying,
Yes they are!!!
They can keep trying to fix the mess that Republican Governor Jim Douglas made of VT! No wonder people are having a hard time. George W Bush took America’s surplus and bankrupted America. No more middle class. It’s tough even for citizen legislators! But of course Douglas and his Republican cronies know all that as Douglas was Bush’s VT campaign point person. Douglas stripped Vermont like Bush stripped the US.
So glad that legislators like Senator Campbell are working to bring VT back to its senses! Focus on Community – ditch Challenges for Change.
I know that John must be doubly embarrassed — first for not being able to pay his taxes in a timely fashion and second for its becoming such a public matter. I know all of the upside of a citizen/part time legislature but the downside is the challenge it poses for legislators to be able to make a decent living under the circumstances. When Vermont was primarily a farm economy the model worked better.
Poor Pat has to earn a living somehow. Why not make money sliming others? Works for her national party leaders.
Attempting to score cheap political points is pretty much the extent of the gop act.
It’s not like they could celebrate the 10th anniversary of the bush tax cuts by pointing to the economic growth, debt reduction and revenue they’ve produced.
aren’t too high? Or they are high but it’s Bush’s fault? It seems like a cheap shot because the the Senator does make sacrifices to serve in the legislature. But what have they done since the last election to reduce property taxes?