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Has Moderation Broken Out In The House?

by The Wise One

Two stories in Tuesday’s Deseret News suggest that an attack of moderation has broken out in the House of Representatives.  The first one states that “It appears five committees were canceled because their chairs were angry over moderate Republicans combining with House Democrats…” over HB271, the tuition tax credit bill.  Poor Rep. Holdaway, R-Taylorsville was one of the moderate Republicans, and he reported that “he is being attacked from his party’s right wing”.  Evidently Speaker Marty Stephens has his hands full trying to quell the rebellion.

The second story dealt with the quiet passage of HB230 by a single vote.  This is the one that freezes the state’s basic property tax rate, which is essentially the same thing as a tax increase, since property values are going nowhere but up.  I’d say a whole bunch of hard-core “no tax increase this year” Republicans had to come down with a mighty big case of moderation to agree to this.  I wonder what the distinction is, in their minds at least, between them and tax-and-spend Democrats?  I liked what Rep. Noel said: “This will be a tax increase. Put a dress on it - it’s still a tax increase.”

Only time will tell if this outbreak can jump across the hall to the Senate.

Posted by windley on February 25, 2004 08:25 AM