Keith C. McCormic for Massachusetts State Senate

Rosenberg challenger Keith McCormic calls for end to state income tax

By Jessica Collier, Special to The Recorder - Monday, October 06, 2008

BOSTON -- The Republican vying for incumbent Stanley Rosenberg's state senate seat Saturday urged a rally of anti-tax supporters to end the state income tax, saying a vote against the tax is a vote for the people of the state.

''If you have any decency, any warmth in your heart, any shred of human kindness left in your soul, vote yes on Question 1,'' said Keith McCormic, a Greenfield resident, told some 150 people at Faneuil Hall.

McCormic said that the state government, which he called ''An inhuman bureaucracy carved from cold, unfeeling stone,'' is addicted to tax dollars. The only way to halt its spending, he said, would be to pass Question 1.

Rosenberg, the Amherst Democrat, opposes Question 1.

The referendum question would phase out state income tax by Jan. 1, 2010. McCormic said the proposal would put money back into the hands those who will spend it more responsibly. ''Ten dollars in the hands of a dedicated caregiver will buy more nutritious food than $50 of government spending,'' he said.

McCormic, voice wavering and arms waving, invoked his experience as a special education teacher in Holyoke.

''I have seen the faces of those children,'' said the candidate. ''I have seen the scars of misguided public assistance in their eyes, etched into their souls. The government did that to them. Your government did that with your money.''

Although, state officials say Question 1 would eliminate 40 percent of budget revenues, anti-tax advocates like McCormic claim the amount lost would be 27 percent.

In an interview before the rally, McCormic cited the difference as a result of what he called the ''hidden budget,'' which includes funds, appropriations and other money spent by the government that is not listed in the state's operational budget. Those in favor of a repeal consider the state budget to be around $20 billion higher than the $28.2 billion that the state quotes.

Rosenberg said in a phone interview during the rally the money spent in the alleged ''hidden budgets'' comes from sources like federal reimbursements and lottery proceeds that were created to fund that specific purpose, and that virtually none of it came from taxpayers.

''They absolutely do not understand the budget,'' Rosenberg said. ''The math just simply does not add up.''

Since about half of the state budget goes to local aid and health care, Rosenberg said that either one of those areas would need to be cut. If not, much or the rest of the budget would be in jeopardy.

State Rep. Ellen Story, D-Amherst, also said in a phone interview she was concerned about what would happen to services if Question 1 passes.

''Even people who are in favor of smaller government need police protection and fire protection and roads and bridges, not to mention schools and everything else that is paid for by our tax money,'' she said.

Backers of tax question plan Faneuil Hall rally

By Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer - September 28, 2008

BOSTON --Supporters of a ballot question that would end the state income tax may have the easiest political pitch of the election: a promise of an average $3,600 back in the pockets of each Massachusetts taxpayer.

But with virtually no money for television ads and few brand-name backers, finding a forum to make that pitch hasn't been easy for the Committee for Small Government.

The committee has adopted a barnstorming approach to the campaign highlighted by a rally next Saturday at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall. They say they'll follow that up with more rallies and have offered to debate the other side in public forums.

With less than $8,000 in the bank as of Sept. 22, supporters face an enormous funding gulf. The Coalition for Our Communities, which opposes the tax rollback, had more than $1.2 million cash on hand, including $1 million from national teachers unions based in Washington D.C.

Carla Howell, leader of the Committee for Small Government, said the committee is relying heavily on traditional campaigning, although she wouldn't rule out advertising.

"There's no question that it is David vs. Goliath. Our opposition is going to spend millions on advertising against us," said Howell, who debated former state treasurer Shannon O'Brien in Weymouth last week . "It's a battle of the government haves vs. the government have-nots -- those who profit from government spending and those who foot the bill."

Opponents have launched a campaign of their own to defeat the measure including a rallies in Springfield, on the steps of Northampton Town Hall and at a recently rehabbed school in Boston, according to Steve Crawford, a spokesman for the Coalition for Our Communities.

Unlike Howell's group, opponents have the money on hand now to take their campaign to the airwaves.

"We are trying to get the message out and build support for a campaign to fight this reckless proposal," Crawford said. "We're going to be using all of the tools that are part of a modern campaign. Television is certainly part of that."

Critics say the question, which would eliminate about 40 percent of state revenues, would have disastrous results, particularly when the state is already facing tough fiscal times.

While unions have poured money into the effort to defeat the measure, they aren't alone in opposing the measure. Business groups have also warned of dire results and top Democratic leaders on Beacon Hill are uniformly against the measure, including Gov. Deval Patrick, House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray.

Even Beacon Hill Republicans have been muted in their response, saying they're sympathetic with the frustrations of taxpayers, but have stopped short of backing the question.

That's left supporters searching for higher profile endorsers.

Saturday's rally features a radio talk show host, two newspaper columnists and Republican candidates for Congress and the state Senate -- and Howell.

Keith McCormic is one of the rally's speakers. The 34-year-old Greenfield resident is making his first bid for office against Democratic incumbent Sen. Stanley Rosenberg of Northampton.

McCormic, an educator who works with special needs students, says he supports the question even though it may put his job in peril by forcing cutbacks.

McCormic said the question would pressure Beacon Hill lawmakers to be more open about how they're spending the money the state already takes in.

"It will force lawmakers back to the bargaining table, not with each other, but with the People. They are going to have to justify all of these pet projects," McCormic said. "It's better we have short term pain, with a long term solution, rather than this death spiral."

Supporters say bigger name backers could still surface before election day.

"We're still working on some more names," said Garrett Quinn, Jr, helping to organize Saturday's rally. "I haven't sent out my final press release naming the final lineup."

McCormic Stuns Opponent and Calls for End to State Income Tax at Amherst Parade

Monday, May 5, 2008 - Greenfield, MA

While marching in the town of Amherst’s Independence Day parade, Republican state Senate candidate Keith McCormic of Greenfield momentarily stunned his opponent, Amherst Democrat Stanley Rosenberg, by mounting a wooden soapbox during a pause in the parade and dramatically reciting lines from the Declaration of Independence. Rosenberg, the Senate’s President Pro Tempore, along with Congressman John Olver (D-Amherst) and state Representative Ellen Story (D-Amherst) stood frozen, staring at McCormic throughout his first oration. Cheers and clapping from onlookers in the crowd accompanied the end of McCormic’s performance.
   McCormic, a teacher who works with troubled youth in Holyoke, repeatedly jumped up on the wooden soapbox during lulls in the parade. His retinue, mostly young voters, wore outfits reminiscent of turn-of-the-century political rallies, complete with straw skimmer hats. The Republican candidate himself appeared in a three-piece wool suit complete with a Victorian top hat. “I wanted to remind people of a time when politics, not baseball, was the ‘American Pastime’. Politics can be a lot of fun if we let it,” he later told a woman in the crowd.
   After the parade, McCormic announced his full support for Carla Howell’s ballot initiative to end the Massachusetts state income tax. “I believe that the Democrats’ supermajority on Beacon Hill has become so corrupt that they do not deserve your money any more,” he told bystanders. “With 88% control of both houses, they could do anything they want in this state, so the fact that nothing gets better demonstrates a lack of will, not a lack of authority,” he continued. “I doubt that the Democrats have the courage to obey the will of the people,” he charged, “they ignored you when you voted to lower taxes and they will most likely ignore us again, but they need to be told to stop.”
   McCormic called on his fellow Republican leaders to endorse the ballot initiative. “We need to clearly show how tyrannical the Democrats have become,” he suggested. “The culture of corruption on Beacon Hill needs to face the reality that the needs of average voters have to come before cushy jobs for Democratic Party supporters.” McCormic acknowledged that many Republicans, including Sen. Mike Knapik (R-Westfield) oppose the repeal as impractical, but he urged the state GOP to officially support the initiative.
   “This isn’t about ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’,” said McCormic, “this is about forcing the Democrats to reveal their true colors. My opponent wants to make ballot questions much harder to submit. I trust the voters. I’m not sure he does. As Republicans, we should all put our faith in the voters. Heaven knows the Democrats never will.”

Democrats Lose Nomination Signatures, Republican Keith McCormic Finds Them

Republican State Senate candidate Keith C. McCormic of Greenfield today returned nomination petitions for Democrats John Olver and Stanley Rosenberg to the Pelham Town Clerk’s office. He discovered the petitions in his mailbox on Saturday when the office was closed. Mailed inside one of McCormic’s own return envelopes, they contained the registrar-certified signatures of fourteen Pelham Democrats, including a registrar of voters, all of whom had signed the papers to put the Democratic candidates on their party’s primary ballot in September. “Imagine my surprise,” chuckled McCormic “I thought this envelope contained signatures for me. Instead I found my opponent’s signatures inside!”

McCormic dismissed allegations that Pelham’s Democrat-dominated town officials had deliberately mailed him the petitions as a form of entrapment. “This is a very busy time of year for town clerks,” he said. “I’m sure that someone just made an honest mistake.” Intentionally misdirecting the signatures could have carried a criminal penalty of up to $1,000 or a year in prison. “Democrats control 88% of the legislature and many city and town governments in Massachusetts. If we start thinking that everything that goes wrong is a conspiracy, we’ll never fix the underlying problems,” he concluded.

In a humorous aside, McCormic jokingly suggested that the clerical error might have been subconscious. “Everyone knows that we’d all be better off if I replaced Rosenberg,” he quipped. “Unfortunately, taking custody of his petition signatures is one of the few things I can’t do better.”

Asked why he went out of his way to return the signatures so quickly, McCormic replied, “It’s just the right thing to do.” He continued, “REAL Republicans are men of honor. Those of us who want to follow in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt have to hold ourselves to a higher standard of fairness.”

Renowned Economists Endorse Keith McCormic

Thursday March 20^th - South Deerfield, MA

State Senate candidate Keith C. McCormic’s economic stimulus plan entered bull market territory at Chandler’s Restaurant in South Deerfield with the endorsement of a panel of well-known economists with ties to Hampshire and Franklin counties.

Dr. Kevin Hassett, a Greenfield native who served as a senior economist to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors before becoming the director of economic policy at the American Enterprise Institute, was the keynote speaker at the event. Hassett, a former Columbia University professor, is the author of 6 books on the economy including Toward Fundamental Tax Reform, Dow 36,000, and Bubbleology.

Dr. James Miller, a Deerfield resident and a professor of economics at Smith College in Northampton, also came out on behalf of McCormic’s State Senate campaign. Author of Game Theory at Work and an expert on state lotteries, Miller was a 2004 candidate for State Senate amid his successful tenure fight at the Northampton college. In addition, Dr. John Andrulis pledged his support for McCormic’s bid for State Senate. Dr. Andrulis currently serves on the Northampton Housing Authority and is a professor emeritus of economics at Western New England College.

The enthusiastic support for McCormic’s plan to create jobs in Massachusetts was key in the economists’ endorsement. McCormic’s job plan includes easing the corporate income tax rate, currently the country’s fourth highest at 9.5%, to a regionally appropriate 8%. McCormic also proposes allowing all businesses a double tax deduction for net new hires. McCormic explained that this would encourage companies to grow their workforce rather than outsourcing jobs away from the area.

McCormic declared that it was time for the state to stop targeting economic incentives at special interests like the biotechnology, film, and gambling. “Candle manufacturing is never going to be a politically connected industry, yet Yankee Candle is one of our largest employers,” McCormic said. “My plan would allow innovation to stimulate the economy in every sector and encourage permanent hiring over the use of temporary employees.”

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