Andrew Romanoff, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Colorado, nearly had Republican me swooning over his tax policy…IF only he’d stopped when he was ahead.

“My goal is to make our tax code as efficient, as equitable, as transparent as possible and to make sure that we’re not punishing the kind of activities that we ought to instead be rewarding,” he said at a July 20 forum in Colorado Springs, hosted by the Coalition for a Prosperous America.

YAY! Finally! A guy who’s speaking my language! He must really get it. We need wholesale tax reform to save the Republic. WOO HOO!!!

“When you tax something you get less of it. We tax work. We impose an income tax to provide the revenues that government needs to supply the services that citizens want.”

Right on, brother! I loooove logical politicians. This is logic at its best! No more income tax! Don’t penalize success! Win!

“It seems to me the best way to design a tax code would be to instead encourage activities by taxing them less, activities like work or savings, research/development, investments of those kinds…”

I found my unicorn! A Democrat who understands the fundamental purpose and folly of taxes. THIS MAKES MY DAY!

“…And instead discourage the activities that disadvantage us. Like, for example, carbon emissions.“

WAIT! WHAT? Nooooooooo. . . you were so close! SO CLOSE!

“I want to also make sure, and I think that some of the earlier conversation reflected this, that as we’re designing this tax code, we don’t unfairly disadvantage the folks who have the least ability to pay. I think progressivity is an appropriate part both of CPA’s platform and of our own tax code.”

Sigh. I knew it was too good to be true . . . I KNEW IT! I should have known better.

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