Raise the taxes

There's been talk lately in the media about how the Republicans don't like the new Republican governor of Indiana raising taxes. Heaven forbid such a travesty! \nGov. Mitch Daniels has proposed a 1 percent tax increase for people who make more than $100,000. This would raise their income tax to about 4.5 percent. So why is this such a problem?\nThe Republicans in Indiana don't like this because they wanted Daniels to cut taxes like every other Republican. Instead, he decided to be responsible and raise taxes to pull Indiana out of its fiscal problems. However, Daniels' being responsible has drawn ire from his own party and distrust from the Democrats.\nDaniels is doing a great thing for Indiana. It's not just about the tax increase. Here's a governor who says he's going to do what's right for the state instead of what would get him re-elected and make him well-liked within his own party. Because of his tax increase, he's going to balance the budget in his first year being in office. He's also going to correct the faults of late Gov. Frank O'Bannon and former Gov. Joe Kernan that helped send Indiana into its current fiscal problems.\nWhile O'Bannon and Kernan were in office, they decided to stop collecting the gas tax because its price reached an amazing $1.50. So the government wasn't drawing an income from something every person with a motor vehicle in Indiana has to buy. Now it's Daniels' job to correct the Democratic mistake. Although, to be fair to the late governor and the former governor, the state budget crisis isn't entirely their fault. The national economy also had problems that contributed to the budget problems.\nSo to correct this mistake and prevent an economic downturn, Gov. Daniels has proposed some major budget cuts and a tax increase. His budget cuts will probably hurt the poorest among us, while the tax increase will "hurt" the richest among us. As a result, Gov. Daniels has created nice symmetry in his budget proposal that will affect all citizens of Indiana, not just the poor. \nAnd why not do this? Why should only the poor suffer when the state has financial problems? By increasing the taxes, the richer among us will pay off the deficit; the state can balance its budget and maybe even eventually have a surplus. This would do wonders for Indiana's economy and maybe attract more businesses to invest in Indiana.\nThere's also been talk that this tax increase might be a ploy to encourage the state House and state Senate to make more serious budget cuts. This would make the House and Senate Republicans and Democrats look bad to their respective constituents. If the legislature has to cut other state programs, it's going to hurt the poor even more. This would not sit well with traditional Democratic values, and it would also have an adverse effect on Republicans because they would look heartless for possibly cutting back on social programs. Allowing state legislators to solve the economic crisis would be a great strategy for Daniels because if his tax increase doesn't pass through Congress, he doesn't have ties to the budget cuts. \nWhether Daniels opts for budget cuts or a tax increase, it doesn't matter. Gov. Daniels is going to get the state to balance its budget, and only great things can happen because of that. It might take a tax increase to do it, but I think that it's worth it -- especially when the proposed tax increase is only for one year. Besides, wouldn't having a balanced budget bring more money to the state and even help those people who have the tax increase make more? Let's cut the bickering and make Indiana better.