Utah lawmakers use tired "trickle down" arguments to justify their latest tax cut for the rich.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Miss: 1,000 Cuts
As the Utah Legislature celebrates four years of cutting taxes, citizens may wonder who's getting all this money? It's not most of you. Republicans say it's all about spurring productivity, but you should remember that the Reagan-era theory of "trickle-down" economics is basically B.S. While politicians want the voting rabble to believe lower taxes will help them, they also admit it's meant to benefit high-wage earners. That's because they are sure—without evidence—that the benefits will trickle down to you. An analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (yes, it's left-leaning) shows that the highest earners ($3 million per year) may get $2,676 back, while the lowest ($20,000) will get a whopping $24. Meanwhile, public education continues to struggle—even though we're giving the new voucher program another $40 million this year. And here's how they help people in need: You can vote on a constitutional amendment to cut the sales tax on food—but you'll also be cutting funding to education. So there!
Hit: Duck and Cover
It's over—the Utah legislative session, that is. The few victories that voters saw may be brief as lawmakers will soon hunker down for interim work to bring back the worst next year. They are waiting in the wings to permanently get rid of ranked choice voting, they still want the Salt Lake County gravel pit, and even though a bill failed to make citizen initiatives harder to pass, lawmakers are always on the lookout for ways to keep citizens from making laws. The jury's still out on how a Major League Baseball stadium might benefit the Fairpark area—you know, if a MLB team comes to Utah. Perhaps the best part of the session was the fact that reporters are still a thing on the Hill. The evidence? Legislators are using the "fake news" argument and calling reporting lies when it is anything but.
Miss: Cluttered Inbox
Who gets to spam whom? For now, it's the House speaker and Senate president who get to email every single school employee in the state three times a year. Why, you may ask? Because, boo-hoo, school employees hear a lot from their union, but they don't get to hear from their elected officials. Mind you, these elected officials are public servants, too. "The state pays a portion of educational expenses in our state. We're paying a portion of their salaries. When we want to communicate with those employees, there's no way for us to do that," Riverton Republican Rep. Candice Pierucci told The Salt Lake Tribune. Oh, sure there is, but it might take some thinking. Maybe just visit schools, talk to teachers and, of course, give out your personal emails so you, the lawmakers, can have a conversation. Instead, the Legislature would rather serve school employees with a one-way propaganda vehicle. Those employees should remember they can block emails they don't want.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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