Tax Increases to Lobby for More Tax Increases?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that taxes are paying $25 million in lobbyists salaries. Almost one-fourth of the more than 1600 peopled registered to lobby during the 2009 session represented either state funded agencies or local governments. As Rep. John Lunsford of McDonough says, 'The only person without a damn lobbyist is the taxpayer.'

I have no problem with lobbying in general. I do not believe that spending money to petition the government is tantamount to 'buying' politicians. There is something, however, that rankles me about taxpayers' money being used to lobby positions that are often against the taxpayers best interest. As Jared Thomas of the Georgia chapter of Americans for Prosperity says, 'Essentially what you've got is tax dollars being used to send people to the state Capital to lobby lawmakers to raise their taxes again.'

There were many valid reasons to oppose Glenn Richardson's plan to eliminate local property taxes in the state of Georgia. Local governments using taxpayer money to ensure property taxes were not cut shouldn't be one of them.