It's Time to Take the Anti-Norquist Pledge

Like all Americans, I yearn for a simplified tax code, and I stand second to no citizen in my passion for tax reform. My wife and I between us possess the following graduate degrees: Ph.D., M.Phil., two M.A.s and a J.D. from reputable institutions -- so grant that we are of at least median intelligence. Yet we can't manage to do our tax returns correctly without professional assistance. I assure you, I strongly believe in tax reform. But Grover Norquist's misleadingly-named Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) has absolutely nothing to do with tax reform.

Norquist, president and founder of ATR, is famous for the polarizing 'tax reform' pledge (the 'Norquist Pledge') he badgers politicians into signing -- under penalty of designating them anti-tax reform. The current version of this pledge states that signers will:

• ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and
• TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.

Norquist even emphasizes that the pledge has no exceptions for war, natural disaster, or other misfortunes. For example, a signer of the Norquist Pledge isn't permitted to vote to increase tax rates on America's 1% -- even if such changes would be revenue neutral, and/or are desperately needed for a national emergency. Our current marginal tax rates reflect random political compromises, so why they should be set in stone for the coming decades is not clear to me.

At last count, 238 Members of the House of Representatives and 41 Senators committed to the Norquist Pledge. Republican Presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have also signed the pledge -- which is binding for a politician's entire term in office.

The Norquist Pledge has nothing to do with tax reform as understood by most American taxpayers. For example, the majority of Americans favor increasing -- rather than capping -- the marginal tax rates of the top 1%. (By the way, ATR -- a tax-exempt institution -- pays no taxes on its annual revenues of about $5 million per year, according to ATR tax forms.) Mr. Norquist's real goal (explained in his other writings) is to substantially shrink the size of government.

I oppose the Norquist Pledge for (at least) two reasons:

1. ATR is a misleading, Orwellian assault on our language: ATR is entitled to a view that tax revenues should be capped, or that the '1%' shouldn't pay more taxes -- but they should call themselves Americans for Flat Tax, Americans for Limited Government, or anything which describes their real goals.
2. We need compromise, not gridlock: The Norquist Pledge was directly responsible for the near default of the U.S. government, and contributes to the acrimonious political atmosphere we all suffer from. The American Bill of Rights and the Constitution are core non-negotiable commitments every American has the right to insist our politicians pledge to defend and protect. But pledges to not raise marginal tax rates on the top '1%' make normal compromise and negotiation impossible.

To counter this harmful situation, I propose the American Citizen's Anti-Norquist Pledge:

1. As an American citizen, I hereby irrevocably commit that I will not support, contribute to or vote for any politicians who have signed the Norquist Pledge, unless they publicly renounce that pledge.
2. As a shareholder of any American corporation, I pledge to oppose any corporate contributions to ATR and to vote against any corporate management using corporate funds to support ATR.
3. As a consumer, I will not knowingly purchase goods and services from corporations that support the Norquist Pledge.

Finally, I would welcome your comments:

• Do you agree the Norquist Pledge is harmful to our country?


• If you agree that the Norquist Pledge is harmful, would you be willing to sign the Anti-Norquist Pledge?


• What else could we do to reverse the Norquist Pledge?

If you would like updates on the creation of the Anti-Norquist Pledge, and other topics, please follow me on twitter: @Steven_Strauss.

Steven Strauss was founding Managing Director of the Center for Economic Transformation at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). He is an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University for 2011-2012. He has a Ph.D. in Management from Yale University.

 

Follow Steven Strauss on Twitter: www.twitter.com/steven_strauss

Comments

[Metaforge]

01:30 PM on 02/15/2012

Eliminate the personal income tax - then there is no need for a Grover or Anti-Grover pledge.

[Steven Strauss]

08:37 PM on 02/05/2012

My thanks to everyone for your interest, support and suggestions. You can find a version of the pledge described above (modified to reflect some of your comments) at change.org the Anti-Norquist pledge:

http://ow.ly/1FDO7H

For those of you who were interested in signing, please review the pledge and assuming you agree, please sign the pledge and share with your networks.

Thank you!

[itamra]

12:10 AM on 02/02/2012

also to be noted, Ron Paul signed Norquist's pledge and also Paul wants to make Bush tax cuts permanent.

please also see and sign, if you haven't already: http://act.ly/45x (a twitter petition) or its change.org location http://www.change.org/petitions/irresponsible-bush-tax-cuts-with-2-unfunded-wars. when you sign via twitter, you send a tweet to Norquist as a reminder

[Nils Montan]

02:21 PM on 01/30/2012

How do we find out info about corporations that support Grover's pledge.

[doctorbabble]

12:08 PM on 01/23/2012

Grover, Mitt, Newt. Is it coincidence that the three most important GOPers have first names that sound like the names of cartoon characters?

[stevemarvin]

11:42 AM on 01/23/2012

With so tacky rebellion,
more hellion or Christian?
Oh, so Machiavellian,
Orwellian, Norquistian.

Exactly what small grover meant
Pushin' his scuzzy bath tub gin
The tax we cut, all overspent.
Bush 'n' his fuzzy math club win

[Mr Universe]

11:23 AM on 01/23/2012

Way ahead of you:

http://538refugees.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/the-anti-pledge-pledge/

[itamra]

12:11 AM on 02/02/2012

please sign this one so we can annoy the hell outta Norquist via twitter while sending him a powerful message from actual taxpayers his game is affecting: http://act.ly/45x

[doctorbabble]

10:34 AM on 01/23/2012

I am glad someone is addressing this issue. It boggles the mind that we seem to be okay with the majority of elected politicians from one party pledging an oath to someone who is not elected to any office and represents a very narrow interest. That pledge seems to be in conflict with their constitution pledge. And what does binding mean? Is Grover going to strike down a politician with his thunderbolt if s/he happens to remember that they were elected to serve the American people?

[Willie Qwit]

09:44 AM on 01/23/2012

Of course I agree the Norquist Pledge is harmful to our country. Republicans that sign the pledge know it, as well. Those politicians will do anything to get elected. Anything. Including hurting our country.

[PeterNPaul]

09:37 AM on 01/23/2012

It is ludicrous to think that a country that has (at least previously had) the greatest economy the world has ever seen, would have to have a personal income tax at all--for anyone.

Many reasons for this exist, from foreign imperialist adventures to the Federal Reserve's pilfering of the Treasury to the size and lack of efficiencies of a bloated government.

Somewhere around 45% of government's revenue comes from the personal income tax. The rest from payroll taxes, excise taxes, corporate taxes, etc. The 2009 U.S. military budget accounts for approximately 40% of global arms spending and is over six times larger than the military budget of China and is more than the next twenty largest military spenders COMBINED. This does not take into account interest paid on debt incurred in past wars or other ancillary costs of the DOD. When all of these costs are added together, it is roughly the equivalent of the personal income tax revenues.

Sending more money to Washington only means more will be wasted, stolen, and squandered into never ending foreign imperialism and aggression. It is a ruse of epic proportion sold in the name of the greater good.

I don't agree with Norquist's pledge. In fact, I don't agree with anything at all when it comes to the personal income taxes.

Starve the beast. Eliminate the personal income tax. Washington can fight over the scraps.

[Bethab]

11:34 AM on 01/23/2012

Do you absolutely promise to never drive on a road again? Call the police when you are in danger? Call a fireman when your house is on fire? Send your children to a public school or to play in a public park? Open your eyes when a streetlight is turned on?

[PeterNPaul]

12:28 PM on 01/23/2012

All of the personal (your 1040) income tax is consumed by the military, either directly, indirectly through various programs or agencies, or from paying interest on the debt from previous wars.

Total personal income tax revenues for 2010, about $1.3T. Defense spending, $850B. Interest on the debt principally caused by extravagant defense spending, about $450B.

This year, just make your check out to the Department of War, because it has nothing to do with the services you mention.

"It is a ruse of epic proportion sold in the name of the greater good."

[KatRB]

09:07 AM on 01/23/2012

It's my opinion that lawmakers who have signed the Norquist pledge have committed an act of treason. The pledge is in direct conflict with the oath our Congressmen take. Unfortunately, our Constitution does not provide procedures for impeaching a member of Congress. Congress can impeach a president or a supreme court justice. But the only way to 'impeach' a member of Congress is via the ballot box. Obviously, that doesn't work. It's long past time for a constitutional amendment to make members of Congress accountable for their actions via the threat of impeachment.

[ultrawiz]

10:56 AM on 01/23/2012

It is also time for term limits, no lobbying after leaving office and no lifetime paycheck and health insurance.

[michaeledward]

08:49 AM on 01/23/2012

Hear ! Hear !

[Steven Strauss]

07:49 PM on 01/27/2012

Thank you!

[nomoredead]

08:43 AM on 01/23/2012

I'm onboard....

[Steven Strauss]

08:33 PM on 02/05/2012

A modified version of the pledge described above is now available at change.org, you can find the Anti-Norquist pledge @ http://ow.ly/1FDO7H .

Thank you for your interest.

Best s

[Haveissues]

08:25 AM on 01/23/2012

It amazes me what kind of country we have become where our representatives sign pledges to score political points. Then, apparently, they lose all common sense and ability to compromise through those pledges. We need leaders who want to govern for the good of the people, not be re-elected.

[jkanon]

08:23 AM on 01/23/2012

There are four types of governments: Smart and Big; Smart and Small; Stupid and Big: Stupid and Small. Number three and four are not wanted by anyone but all Grover talks about is small so we coul get a Small, Stupid government. The president is promoting Smart and in going smart, the goverment will naturally shrink to its correct size for a 21st century super power.