ROMNEY AND PALIN INCREASED TAXES TO IMPROVE THEIR STATES' CREDIT RATINGS

But don't tell their followers, it would make their heads explode and make them look at these two Republican presidential hopefuls as the hypocrites they truly are. [Palin keeps showing up at presidential hopeful events playing her cute little game of "Am I or Am I Not Running for President."]

Here's what Palin--who screeched about NOT raising the debt ceiling--did as governor of Alaska:

How Sarah Palin Got a AAA Credit Rating for Alaska

"Alaska recently had its bond rating raised to AAA for the first time in the state's history, largely due to fiscal improvements brought about by Sarah Palin while she was governor. The state currently enjoys a $12 billion budget surplus.

This is unquestionably a good thing for the people of Alaska, just as the country's downgrade is a bad thing. The state enjoys lower borrowing costs as a result. But especially in light of the current dysfunction in Washington, it's important to understand why Alaska's fiscal situation improved: It was largely because Palin raised taxes. Specifically, the state oil tax. Her central achievement as governor was signing a law, Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share (ACES), that dramatically increased the state's share of oil profits just as oil prices began to take off. "

But Palin would never admit to the fact that she raised taxes and how that improved Alaska's revenues.  Why?  Because she and her fellow Tea Party nuts are against raising taxes under any conditions.  But facts are stubborn things, and Palin--hypocrite that she is--won't point out to anyone that raising taxes improved Alaska's credit rating. 

Now on to Mitt Romney and his hypocrisy [this is nothing unusual for him]:

From the New York Times editorial today:


"Rejecting compromise was not the way Mr. Romney governed. He balanced the Massachusetts budget with new income from $269 million in closed tax loopholes, and $271 million in increased fees. He has claimed unconvincingly that those were not taxes, but it turns out that his administration boasted about them to the bond rating agencies in 2004 and 2005, and his state won an upgrade by demonstrating fiscal prudence. Now he is repudiating that approach at the federal level.
       
That has been the nature of every Republican debate this cycle: deny the truth or tell an outrageous lie with such bellicosity that no one dares to challenge it.
       
Representative Michele Bachmann, for example, said the credit downgrade was because the government could not pay its debt. Standard and Poor’s actually said it was because lawmakers like her did not take a default seriously. Representative Ron Paul ridiculously claimed that the United States is bankrupt. Tim Pawlenty said President Obama had no plan to reduce social insurance spending, conveniently forgetting that Mr. Boehner walked away from the president’s overly generous offer to reduce that spending in exchange for revenue increases.
       
The Republican Party has been led into its current cul-de-sac by manipulative officials who would not tell voters the truth about the government’s finances. It will remain there if even its “moderate” leaders refuse to break the pattern."


And finally another Massachusetts Republican politician lying about how increasing revenue here helped raised our state's credit rating--when the then governor, Mitt Romney--petitioned S&P to do so:

Scott Brown, lying like the rest of them (via Blue Mass. Group):

"In an op-ed in today’s Boston Globe, Senator Brown shares with us his recollection of how, a decade ago, Massachusetts pulled itself out of recession using only spending cuts and bipartisanship.

'In 2001 to ’02, the bursting of the technology bubble hit the Massachusetts economy hard. Our unemployment rate was growing faster than any other state in the country, and we faced a fiscal crisis that many experts said was the worst since World War II. The projected deficit for 2003 was nearly $3 billion.

But instead of raising taxes, Democrats and Republicans worked across the aisle: We tightened our belts and balanced the books by cutting spending. It wasn’t easy, but after some tough negotiations and re-setting of priorities, we turned our deficit into a surplus and the economy and jobs started coming back.'

A pretty story that neatly coincides with the Senator’s campaign platform. The only problem is that it’s not true. The state did raise taxes on income, capital gains and cigarettes in 2002, increasing revenues by $1 billion to help close the deficit.

We in the reality-based community always stand ready to help with the fact checking, Senator."


Why does any honest person belong to the GOP?  These are blatant examples of two conservatives running away from their own actions--actions that benefitted their states and actions they now condemn at the federal level.  And then a conservative senator telling lies about how Massachussetts received an improved credit rating after raising revenue.

These  people sicken me.

(I'll be posting at a later date about Elizabeth Warren's upcoming challenge to Scott Brown for the junior senator's seat here in Massachusetts.)

GO ELIZABETH!