Fighting City Hall

A friend and neighbor of mine got nailed by the photo radar van on North Broadway near where we live. He's a non-practicing attorney, and loves to fight out stuff like that. Searching the Internet for details on how to fight the ticket, he happened on my blog entry on the topic.

I ran into my friend a couple of days ago and he excitedly told me he had beaten the ticket. It turns out that the city had not proven that the van was in a residential neighborhood, which is a requirement of state law, and which I pointed out in my essay.

So, it turns out that you can win, and that the City of Boulder is not so all-powerful in these things. Now I guess we'll see if they move or remove the van, or if they just count on the next victim to be unaware of the law.

McCain Claims his Tax Increases will Hurt Economy

Senator McCain has told us that Senator Obama's planned tax increases will harm the economy. And he's promised us that he, himself, Senator McCain will raise taxes on nobody.

But here's the rub. Just like President Bush, McCain has proposed raising taxes as part of his health care proposal. The only thing is, he doesn't call it a tax increase.

It's not just a tax increase. The Senator from Arizona has proposed a whole new tax. In McCain's plan, employer-provided health insurance will be taxed as income. He has also proposed a tax credit to offset the cost of health insurance. But if an employer provides a really good plan, that tax credit may not be enough to offset the new tax.

Even McCain has admitted that some some people will see increased taxes because of his plan. But, he denies that this qualifies as a tax increase, since there are compensating tax reductions.

Consider, though, that Senator Obama's "tax increases" that "will hurt the economy" also decrease the tax burden on a large majority and increase on a small number. And, both plans claim that the tax increases are offset by the tax cuts.

So, Senator McCain, you have to tell us. Are you going to admit that you are proposing a tax increase just like Obama? Or are you going to give Obama a pass, because in reality he is proposing nothing different than you are?

Or are you going to continue these silly word games?