Tuesday, October 31, 2006

How to fund the MCPS mistake? Raise taxes!

MoCo politicians already have a plan for how to pay for correcting their portable classroom mistake: Raise taxes.

County Council President George Leventhal (D-At large), "said the county should be able to pay for the effort, provided that property assessments continue to increase and drive up tax revenue," according to the Washington Post.

"'We’re publicly sticking our necks out here,' Leventhal said . . . ."

Not that Leventhal’s opponent, supersized Republican Steve Abrams, has a better plan. Indeed, Abrams boasts that he has sided with the Democrats - outgoing County Executive Doug Duncan (architect of trying to turn Seven Locks Elementary into a high-density housing development), lame duck County Councilman Steve Silverman, and defeated County Councilman Mike Subin – on such issues.

Leventhal is no less partisan or freespending of other peoples' money than his comrades. But at least he has made steps toward trying to rein in the profligate spending of the board of education and superintendent. Abrams, for his part, sided with Silverman and Subin.

Don’t be fooled by the party label. On tax-and-spend issues, there’s no real difference between Leventhal and Abrams. Might as well pick the guy who respects the Inspector General.