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SOS candidates and tax hikes

In the good government circles here in town, the no-tax pledge is considered to be the highest form of political pandering for votes. You know the promise: If elected I will never vote to raise your taxes.

All stripes of office seeks have raised their right hand to that but up until now it was only the folks running for the legislature who engaged in such tom-foolery according to the know-it-all-insiders. They think it is irresponsible to promise something when you have no idea what the future might hold that might warrant a tax hike.

But now some new ground has been broken by two unlikely candidates running for Secretary of State.

You’re asking yourself, the SOS’s job is traffic safety, running elections and riding herd on campaign finance violations so why would Republican Mary Treder Lang and Democrat Jocelyn Benson wade into the tax issue.

“I promise not to support any car registration fee increases, if I’m elected” they both looked into the Off the Record cameras and swore. And in an even bolder pledge they promised to ask the legislature to rollback the 20 percent registration fee increase adopted two years ago.

Now take this to the bank. The new legislature, as one of its first official acts in 2019, is not about to rollback anything especially a fee hike aimed at filling pot holes.

That doesn’t bother Ms. Benson who says she is there to represent the hardworking families who are paying the fee hike.

Ms. Lang says she would do a deep dive into the SOS budget to find the money to eliminate the registration fee.

However, if Gretchen Whitmer is elected governor, she has already signaled she wants lawmakers to hike the road fees again so what would fellow Democrat Ms. Benson do?

What if the new governor calls you and asks for your help, Ms. Benson?

She’d take the call but say no “on behalf of all those families.”

For her part Ms. Lang doesn’t have to worry about a similar call from Bill Schuette if he is elected. He’s against anything that even remotely looks like a tax hike.

The two SOS candidates also agree that they would not take campaign contributions from companies that deal with that department.

They disagree on whether to repeal the hyper-controversial Citizens United supreme court ruling allowing unions and corporations to spend as much as they want on campaigns. Ms Benson would eliminate it; Ms. Lang offers, “it’s the law of the land.”

On Prop 2 to revamp the way voting district lines are drawn, Ms. Lang votes no. Ms. Benson votes yes. Likewise on Prop 3, the so-called Voter Choice issue including absentee voting for everyone. Ms. Lang does favor that portion of the proposal but must vote no because she thinks the rest of the proposal will encourage voter fraud. Ms. Benson reports that other states have had same day voting registration without that problem.

In a TV commercial Ms. Benson wants to limit your time in line to 30 minutes at a branch office.

“It’s a gimmick,” Ms. Lang dismisses the notion asking, “what do you get after 31 minutes, a free license tab? while adding, “this is not like buying a pizza.”

Ms. Benson counters, with her “time study” of the system and innovations, she can reduce your time in line.

One of these two will get to practice what they preach next January but as for that fee rollback, don’t spend that money just yet.

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