 The
Truth About TABOR...
Taxpayer Bill of Rights or Taxpayer
Bill of Restrictions?
TABOR is Anti-Education,
Anti-Environment,
Anti-Seniors,
Anti-Children,
and ANTI-PEOPLE.
Click here for update: Tabor
defeated!
They're at it again. This time with the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR. In truth, this is a Taxpayer Bill of Restrictions designed to systematically de-fund our public schools, parks, and other public services. With national funding and support, it's been passed in four states so far and is rearing its ugly head in states across the country... and now it's here in Tennessee.
One of the chief supporters of TABOR is Grover Norquist, coauthor of Gingrich’s Contract On America, architect of the Tax Pledge, and President of the anti-government Americans for Tax Reform based in Washington, DC. It is Grover Norquist who once said his goal is to get government “down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.” In other words, to drag our schools, parks, police protection, fire departments, health care, and environment into the bathroom and drown them all.
Not in Tennessee you won't!
What TABOR Actually Does
TABOR, or Senate Joint Resolution 88, will begin the process for
permanently altering the Tennessee constitution in order to restrict funding
for education, children’s services, the environment, and other important
public services. Specific measures of TABOR (SJR 88 as amended) include:
- Constitutionally cap state tax revenue at the current level
(49th nationally) adjusted only for economic growth over time.
- Make tax changes more difficult by increasing the votes required to pass any tax increase from a simple majority to a 2/3rd super-majority.
- Require any tax increase not gaining a 2/3rd majority to be voted on in a public referendum where campaign finance laws don't apply.
Click here to learn more about
how TABOR will impact Tennessee.
TABOR – A Failed Experiment in Colorado
It's clear from the experience of Colorado that TABOR hurts public schools, the environment, and other public services through the gradual erosion of funding. Since 1992 when TABOR was enacted in Colorado, the state has fallen several places in many key indicators, especially education.
- They fell from 22nd to 29th in per capita state and local spending
for elementary and secondary education.
- They fell from 25th to 37th in public high school graduation
rates.
- They fell from 3rd to 13th in percent graduated from high school.
- They fell from 8th to 19th in the “Most Livable State”
index.
Tennessee is ALREADY at the bottom in education and other rankings. Where
would we be after 10 years of TABOR?
Do we really want to find out? No, and we don't have to.
Primary data sources: A Statistical View of the 50 United
States: State Rankings, Morgan Quinto, 1993 & 2003 editions; CQ's
State Fact Finder, Congressional Quarterly, 1993 & 2003 editions.
Additional reading.
Get more information on TABOR:
Updated October 2005
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