October 13, 2008
Anti-tax activist, NRA board member hits use of tax dollars to lobby for higher taxes, gun control, govt. condemnation powers
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- One of the nation's most influential Republican strategists visited Sioux Falls Monday to campaign in favor of Initiated Measure 10, a state ballot proposal he said would stop elected officials from giving tax dollars to lobbying groups which back higher taxes, gun control, and government power to condemn private property for more tax-lucrative private development projects.
The Secretary of State's official ballot description of Initiated Measure 10 reads as follows: “An initiative to prohibit tax revenues from being used for lobbying or campaigning, to prohibit governmental bodies from lobbying, to prohibit government contractors from making campaign contributions, to prohibit government contracts when the contractor employs a legislator or legislative staff member, and to require contracts with government contractors to be published.”
Grover Norquist, named last month by Newsmax magazine as one of the top 25 most influential Republicans nationwide -- http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/powerful_republicans/2008/09/08/128848.html -- is president of Americans for Tax Reform and a board member of the National Rifle Association.
During a noon news conference at the Holiday Inn, Norquist zeroed in on South Dakota officials who funnel local tax dollars to lobbying organizations in Pierre and Washington, D.C. that "use South Dakotans' own tax dollars to lobby for higher taxes and against protecting your gun rights and private property rights."
"If you want to stop politicians from using your tax dollars for lobbying or political campaigns or to give government contracts to their campaign donors," Norquist said, "you need to vote 'yes' on Measure 10."
Sam Kephart, Spearfish, state co-chair for the YES on 10 campaign and earlier this year a GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate, welcomed Norquist's support.
"Grover Norquist is one of the most influential and respected policy analysts and defenders of taxpayer interests in the nation," Kephart said. "Republican presidents and senators and governors have sought his advice for decades. We hope Republican voters in South Dakota will give careful consideration to his advice in support of Measure 10."
Using tax dollars to campaign for higher taxes
Norquist, whose organization presses candidates nationwide to sign a "No Tax Hike Pledge," offered multiple examples of tax-funded lobbying organizations which have campaigned to increase taxes or against reducing the tax burden in South Dakota.
He noted that:
* The tax-funded South Dakota Association of County Commissioners earlier this year spent tax dollars to launch a petition drive to increase taxes on alcohol by $2.56 a gallon. http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/01/23/news/local/doc4792bf0cb07ec919302792.txt
The ballot campaign committee for the "Time for a Dime" tax hike initiative -- which failed to gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot -- was run from the tax-funded SDACC's offices, and Sully County Commissioner Bill Floyd served as its treasurer. http://dakotawarcollege.com/archives/3593
Floyd is also treasurer for the "No on Measure 10" ballot campaign committee.
* In 2006, the tax-funded SDACC contributed over $45,000 to the "No on 8" ballot campaign committee, which campaigned against an initiative to repeal the tax on cell phone users.
* In 2004, the tax-funded South Dakota Municipal League campaigned against a ballot measure to repeal the sales tax on food. "A ballot initiative is currently being circulated to completely repeal the sales tax on food. This would cost the state’s municipalities $18 million, and the state $42 million in revenue each year. The South Dakota Municipal League (SDML) opposes the measure to eliminate the sales tax on food and has gone on record to take any steps possible to defeat it." http://www.cityofyankton.org/tools/CommissionMinutes/2004/040126cm.pdf
* Similarly, last legislative session in Pierre, privately-funded farm and ranch groups supported legislation to assess farm and ranch property at its “agricultural production” value, not what its higher “market value” would be if sold to a developer for expensive homes or shopping. The latter valuation would, of course, increase property taxes on farm and ranch families.
* The tax-funded Associated School Boards of South Dakota – another lobbying group funded by local school districts' tax dollars – lobbied against that legislation. “Dick Tiezsen, a lobbyist representing ASBSD, was the only opponent of the legislation,” ASBSD's Feb. 6, 2008 online newsletter reported. (ASBSD's online newsletter archives has recently been removed)
Minutes of Senate Taxation Committee denoting Tiezsen as an "opponent" of HB 1006, the companion bill to HB 1005: http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2008/Minutes/minSTA02060745.htm
"It is patently unfair when privately funded organizations must compete in Pierre or Washington against tax-funded lobbying organizations which are subsidized by the private groups' members' own tax dollars," Norquist said.
Using tax dollars to lobby for gun control
Norquist noted that all 66 South Dakota counties are dues-paying members of the tax-funded National Association of Counties, a lobbying organization in Washington, D.C., with each county uses local tax dollars to pay its annual dues. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/state.cfm&statecode=sd
NACo’s tax-funded lobbyists endorse federal gun control legislation: "NACo supports the requirement of a reasonable waiting period for the purchase of a handgun to allow for a records check, where possible, to ensure that the purchaser is not ineligible under existing federal law to possess a handgun.” -- The American County Platform and Resolutions 08-09 http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=American_County_Platform&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=27952
Similarly, the South Dakota Municipal League, funded by dues paid with city residents' tax dollars, as well as the individual cities of Brookings, Ft. Pierre, Rapid City, and Watertown, are dues-paying members of the National League of Cities, another Washington, D.C. lobbying group:http://www.nlc.org/state_municipal_leagues/2203.aspx
NLC's tax-funded lobbyists also lobby Congress for federal gun control legislation: “The National League of Cities calls upon the U.S. Congress and Administration to assist municipalities across the nation in combating crime by taking the following actions: reinstate the ban on semi-automatic assault type weapon sales to civilians.” -- NLC Resolution 2008-49, Nov. 2007 http://www.nlc.org/ASSETS/141A038B920A40FF8D56D35E01AB4271/PSCP%20Resolutions.pdf
Using tax dollars to lobby for government condemnation power for private developers
Norquist also pointed to legislation last year by Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, D-S.D., to protect private property from being condemned by local governments for private commercial real estate development projects that would increase government's property tax revenues. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00926:
South Dakota farm and ranch groups and other private property rights groups -- funded by their members' privately-funded donations -- lobbied for the bill. One such group said in a news release: “We applaud the leadership Rep. Herseth Sandlin has exhibited by introducing H.R. 926, the 'Strengthening Ownership of Private Property Act’ of 2007. (Our) policy supports efforts by Congress to rectify the potentially negative impacts of the 2005 Kelo v. the City of New London court ruling that upheld state and local eminent domain authority to seize private property for commercial economic development purposes." http://www.sdcattlemen.org/CMDocs/SouthDakota/H%20R%20%20926.doc
But the tax-funded National Association of Counties – to which every county in South Dakota sends annual dues paid with local tax dollars -- lobbied against Herseth Sandlin’s private property rights legislation. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/state.cfm&statecode=sd
“Jim Philipps, spokesman for the National Association of Counties, said, ‘NACO is opposed to any effort by Congress to preempt state and local land use authorities.’" (BNA, June 7, 2007)
* The National Association of Townships and Towns, also funded by tax dollars South Dakota towns and townships use to pay their membership dues -- http://www.natat.org/useful_links.html -- also lobbied against protecting your private property rights. (NATaT newsletter, June 2007) http://www.natat.org/publications/washington_report/2007_5.pdf
Norquist's remarks echoed a YES on 10 television ad currently on the air, which says:
"Fed up with politicians, lobbyists, government contractors getting rich off your tax dollars? YES on 10 stops politicians from giving campaign donors no-bid government contracts that drive up the cost to taxpayers. YES on 10 stops politicians from giving tax dollars to groups that lobby for gun control, higher taxes, and letting government condemn our property for wealthy developers. That's why they’re spending nearly a million dollars -- including tax dollars -- on their Big Lie campaign. You can stop them. Vote Yes on 10."
Americans for Tax Reform in December donated $10,000 in seed money to South Dakotans for Open and Clean Government to help the group launch its successful citizens petition to put Measure 10 on the ballot. Kephart said that initial donation is the only money the group has received from out of state and that it has fully reported all such contributions as required by state campaign finance laws.
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