Two candidates, two positions, one commonality

The people of House District 15B awoke this morning to a news article about the two remaining DFL candidates who have entered the race to be their representative.  They have a choice between a candidate that wants to tax our purchases of clothing, and one that wants to tax small business owners who choose to take their business income on their individual income tax form:

Dorholt and Lewis both adhere to the DFL position that the state must raise taxes to resolve its deficit. Lewis says she’d consider eliminating state sales tax exemptions for clothing and other exemptions. Dorholt says an income tax hike on high earners would be the least onerous option for a tax increase.

Some choice.  The common feature is that both candidates from the DFL support a higher level of state spending and the intrusion of the state deeper into our lives.  One wants to tax the very same producers whose entrepreneurship is vital to our economic recovery.  The other wants to tell poor families that their children's blue jeans should cost an extra 7.375% at Crossroads Mall.

Regardless of the choice local DFL voters make in August, voters will have a clear choice in November.  I will vote against either of these tax increases should they come before me in 2011 as your representative from District 15B.  We can balance the next biennium's budget without a tax increase.  It only takes the will and a belief that government can perform its vital functions with the amount of money we are projected to have. 

In its last forecast, the Department of Finance projected revenues in the next biennium to rise to $32.9 billion from this biennium's $31.1 billion.  That's a 2.85% annual rate of growth.  Don't you think they have enough?  My opponents say no.