OPINION:
The Democrats get all hot and sweaty with excitement to pass more and higher taxes for the rest of us to pay, but when it comes to ponying up themselves, forget it.
Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, recently bought himself a yacht (“Kerry, yacht in rough seas over taxes,” Politics, Wednesday). When most of us buy cars and boats, we have to ante up sales taxes and personal property taxes just to have the keys in our pocket. Massachusetts, Mr. Kerry’s home state, has that particular burden, too. For a vessel priced in the millions, those taxes alone involve sums most of us will never earn in years of labor.
Nearby Rhode Island repealed its sales tax and annual excise tax years ago. So the good senator registered his little floating play land in Rhode Island, saying the move was for maintenance and charter-business reasons. Sure it was. Too bad he couldn’t have moved his Beacon Hill mansion there, too.
All senators knows how to work toward getting a tax bill passed. Unfortunately, they also have to be willing to pay the tax themselves.
JACK WEBB
Springfield, Va.
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