Melvin Watt: “I think taxes are good sometimes and they are bad sometimes. They can be beneficial; they can be detrimental. I really…”

“I think taxes are good sometimes and they are bad sometimes. They can be beneficial; they can be detrimental. I really think this debate is about the essence of our democracy, which is majority rule. It is not about taxes or no taxes. None of us look forward to voting for a tax increase. All of us should be held accountable if we are irresponsible in voting for tax increases, and we are subject to account for that every 2 years when we run for office. But I think it would be a mistake for the public to be left with the mistaken notion that all States that have supermajority requirements somehow have passed a magic bullet and they are doing well. The actual study indicates that five of the seven States with supermajority requirements experienced lower than average economic growth measured by change in per capita personal income between 1979 and 1989. Four of the seven supermajority States had lower than average economic growth measured by change in gross State product from 1979 to 1989.”