From Troy Fullerton, in response:
Just read your comments on the 33rd District race and wanted to thank you for covering the race. I hope you'll continue to post on it.First, correction duly noted on Scott Newcomer's residence. I leave it to him and his supporters to address the issue of Newcomer's status, and they can do so here if they choose.
Two things, though: First, Scott Newcomer does not live in the district. He bought a lot (or a teardown property) but has still not moved here and based on the looks of the property, will not be moving in for some time. It's one thing to run when you've only lived there a short time, quite another to run when you haven't even moved in yet.
Secondly, on the tax exemption for seniors issue...I have a friend supporting my campaign who is an attorney and has previously worked for a think tank on tax policy, and he has told me the uniformity clause may have to be altered to offer a tax break to seniors, but that since the legislature recently gave a similar tax exemption to disabled veterans (which is singling out one specific group, similar to my idea), there may be some precedent that we could follow. Either way, I am certainly not pandering for any votes, and I absolutely intend to deliver tax relief
when I get to the legislature. This is a serious issue.
Thanks again for covering the race, hope others do as well. Feel free to call with any comments/questions.
Troy Fullerton
As for the proposed exemption from school taxes for senior citizens which Fullerton concedes may require a revision of the uniformity clause: It's a terrible idea. The Democrats have been looking to break the glass on the uniformity clause for years so they could tax businesses differently and Fullerton wants to be the hammer to break that glass, claiming an emergency. If I were a Fullerton opponent, I would be digging up every Tom Loftus quote I could find.
It's sounds neat on paper (especially if you are over 65) but singling out any class and smashing the uniformity clause is an invitation to fiscal disaster. Businesses will no longer have long term faith in the stability of the tax code. Such a large cut in the property tax for the schools would mean a massive increase in the income tax to offset the loss, which means higher taxes for everyone (including the seniors). You would stop the flow of retirees to the south and the west just in time to watch businesses and middle class working people become the new refugees.
Furthermore, to pick out a class for special privilege solely on the basis of a demographic should be anathema to anyone claiming to be a conservative.
I had said Fullerton was either pandering or blind to the consequences of his proposal. He claims he's not pandering. Fair enough. It's rather lightweight bad public policy, and he can do better.
