Tom

If they've had a natural disaster, a hurricane, Florida, earthquake in California, you can get federal relief dollars.

But at the end of the day, you've got to balance the budget.

So if you promise this and you do this, now you have to tax.

And if you tax, you get the outcome.

People don't understand it.

If you talk to the average person, most people

are in favor of very reasonable taxes because they like shiny fire trucks that are in good condition, firemen, police, street lights that work, streets without potholes, and sewage systems that actually flow.

Americans are all very in favor of this.

It takes taxes to do those, to do those basic things, and a public park for people to walk their dogs.

They understand.

But the rest of it is when it comes down to you decide to win the vote, you're going to promise free, and then the other guy's got to pay for it, and then the other guy leaves.

Because guess what?

You have to balance the state budget.

So now you've got to go get bonds, and you can't get them.

Do you think Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island want to raise the taxes coming up in election year?

No, they don't.

They know they're about to get a cold bucket of water in the face.

They know what's going to happen, but they got no choice.

And they have to go with the tax the rich.

And that has to be the angle that they're pushing.