Echoes from the political graveyard

From the political graveyard, outgoing Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton resurrects the most familiar theme during his stormy tenure: Raising taxes is the only way to save the Commonwealth's sinking economic ship.

A proposal recently released by Patton intends to pressure the incoming Fletcher administration to wade into perilous waters, too. It repeats the well-worn arguments of big spenders, including the oft-repeated contention that Kentucky lags behind other states in revenue raised from smokers. Patton's predictable solution: Raise taxes on each pack of cigarettes by 1,733 percent!

But there is a new wrinkle in the governor's latest scheme. Patton suggests "temporarily" increasing the state sales tax by a full percentage point for the next "two or three years," during which video slot machines would be legalized and begin producing revenue. Theoretically, the sales tax increase would then be rolled back to its current 6-percent rate. This scenario bears little credibility, considering that spend-happy politicians and the special interest groups that sustain them have never been satisfied with a temporary tax increase.

Instead of asking for more from taxpayers, Patton should offer to cut spending on unnecessary projects like the Legislative Research Commission's plan to expand its offices in the Capitol Annex in Frankfort, a move that will cost taxpayers nearly $2 million.

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