Political Silly Season = Lies

We at the Rio Grande Foundation remain decidedly “above the fray” when it comes to the upcoming election. We’ll work hard to promote liberty and limited government no matter who is elected to office, just as we’ve done for the last 5 years.

That said, sometimes things get so silly that a response is in order. One outright lie by the Democratic Party of New Mexico which has sent a series of mailers out against Tim Lewis who is running for the Legislature. The postcards which can be found here, here, here, and here make the absurd claim that because Lewis is supportive of many of the Tea Party’s goals and that because some in the Tea Party support a federal tax reform plan known as the FairTax, that Lewis supports a 30% sales tax rate.

The mailer is downright silly (and completely inaccurate) on several counts:

1) Lewis is running for the Legislature, not Congress. The FairTax applies only to federal taxes so this plan doesn’t even apply to him (or anyone else running for state or local office);
2) Far from simply being a tax hike, the FairTax, if adopted, would replace ALL federal taxes including payroll taxes. This is hardly a tax hike;
3) The Tea Party has no single position in support of or against the FairTax so arguing that any candidate’s support for the Tea Party indicates support for the FairTax is ridiculous;

While I think the FairTax has merit, many on the right do not. Regardless of one’s stance on the issue, it is clear that some people are willing to say whatever it takes to get elected.