Gold Star License Plates
Speaker John Gard wants to create a new license plate [.pdf] for "Gold Star" families. As you know, many families who have a family member serving during wartime display a blue star banner in their homes. Families who have lost a family member display gold star banners.
I support the military. When a member of the military dies, I feel bad for their families. I really do. It makes me grateful for their sacrifice for my freedom and all that stuff. Seriously.
However, Republicans have been talking about tax freezes and TABOR and deficits and spending (well, less about spending than the other things). Is this really a message we want to be sending right now? Because if you're adding an expense to the budget (new license plates), and you aren't making the recipients of the expense pay for it, aren't you adding more spending to the budget? I know it's hard for you legislators to understand that, but that's called math.
Speaker Gard's heart is in the right place. I know that if I were in a position of power to make a Gold Star family's life easier or to honor a fallen service member, boy, I would jump all over it. But this is a superficial expense that we just can't afford right now. These are the tough choices we need our legislators to make.
Gard said [.pdf] he would offer both an amendment to the state budge and separate legislation to create a Gold Star plate. The state normally requires a $15 fee for specialized plates. Gard said his amendment would waive the fee and make the plates available to military families at no additional cost to their regular license fee for a non-personalized plate.
I support the military. When a member of the military dies, I feel bad for their families. I really do. It makes me grateful for their sacrifice for my freedom and all that stuff. Seriously.
However, Republicans have been talking about tax freezes and TABOR and deficits and spending (well, less about spending than the other things). Is this really a message we want to be sending right now? Because if you're adding an expense to the budget (new license plates), and you aren't making the recipients of the expense pay for it, aren't you adding more spending to the budget? I know it's hard for you legislators to understand that, but that's called math.
Speaker Gard's heart is in the right place. I know that if I were in a position of power to make a Gold Star family's life easier or to honor a fallen service member, boy, I would jump all over it. But this is a superficial expense that we just can't afford right now. These are the tough choices we need our legislators to make.
posted by Anonymous @ 1:59 PM
<< Home