Dave Eberhart, NewsMax: Former Arkansas governor said he's the Republican candidate with the truest consistent conservative credentials, someone who has never "flip-flopped" on important issues. "I have nothing to explain," Huckabee says with confidence. "I'm comfortable in my own skin." . . . Huckabee is on the record more than once saying, "I'm proud of my record as a fiscal conservative." . . . critics like the watchdog group Club for Growth note, he had raised sales taxes 37%, fuel taxes 16%, and cigarettes taxes 103%. But Huckabee told NewsMax that the picture being drawn is too simplistic. He explained that with respect to the tax increases, a state Supreme Court decision required immediate additional spending on education. The ruling came at a time when he had already cut the state budget 11 %, and the choice was between raising taxes to fund the court order or being in contempt of court. When he became governor, Arkansas had some of the "worst highways in the nation," he said. Over 80% of voters supported a four cent tax on diesel fuel to fix the roads. Similarly, a 1/8-cent increase in the sales tax was approved by the voters to preserve their natural and cultural heritage. Huckabee said that as governor he would have "violated his oath of office" if he had tried to thwart the will of these voters.
Recently, the National Review launched into Huckabee by charging that he was not the poster child for smaller government, citing the increase in state employees and spending during his tenure. Once again, Huckabee explained the devil in the details. With respect to the spending that he as governor had under his control - excluding federal pass-throughs and programs strictly controlled by the Democrat legislature - spending rose only about six-tenths of 1% a year during his 10 1/2-year tenure, he says. As for the 20% growth in state employees during his tenure, Huckabee says he had no control over higher education and federally funded positions, "and when you remove those employees, the number of state employees increased 5.6%." . . . [Read More]
See also: Huckabee's Legacy to Arkansas: Over a $1 Billion State Surplus
Tags: Arkansas, GOP, increased taxes, Mike Huckabee, presidential candidate, Republican, taxes
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