Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden, like King George before the Boston Tea Party, proclaims paying more taxes is the “patriotic” thing to do.

In 2006, Federal, State and Local governments controlled 36.1% of the economy. This number increased from 33.4% in 2000.  Ridgefielders spend Monday and Tuesday working to pay for this government spending.  That’s a fact.

Over 41% of taxes are used to pay for entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. Democrats want to spend more.  Senator Obama says he wants to offer tax rebates to “95% of American households”.  This is an exaggeration at best and an outright lie at worst. Why? Because roughly 33% of American households pay no income tax at all.  Senator Obama pays for his plan by increasing tax rates on dividends, capital gains, corporate taxes, payroll taxes and taxes on the “rich”.  Is it then patriotic to tax some Americans while the poorest, who pay no taxes, get zero relief?

The Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin support the Republicans tax cuts instituted to grow the economy.   Five years of tax cuts have lowered everyone’s tax rates, and increased the percent of income tax paid by the top 5% from 56.2% in 2000 to 60.7% in 2005.  Retaining Republican tax reductions for everyone increases incentives to create jobs and move the economy forward.

According to the watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste, John McCain has a lifetime 88% record voting to save taxpayer money, Chris Shays has a 71% record.  Barack Obama and Joe Biden have 18% and 22% records.  Obama voted 94 times to increase taxes.  For example, in 2005 Obama and Biden, to gain support for their own earmarks, voted in favor of letting Alaska have funds for the Bridge to Nowhere.  McCain voted against this, and upon taking office, Governor Palin stopped all funding for the bridge.

Back home, Connecticut needs Toni Boucher and John Frey in the Statehouse.   According to Taxfoundation.Org, Connecticut has the third highest state and local tax burden in the country at 11.1%.  Connecticut ranks in the top quarter in terms of income, sales, gas, and property taxes. Ridgefielders pay over $10,000 per household or almost 6% of income on property taxes.  John and Toni have spent their careers trying to hold the line in a Democratic Statehouse which is continually trying to increase taxes including last year’s effort to increase taxes on clothing, funeral expenses, internet purchases, cigarettes and income.

To control spending, lower taxes and keep the economy moving vote for McCain, Palin, Shays, Boucher, and Frey.