Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
E-mail: mailbox@governing.com
Remember the innocent days of 2000 when, during the uninspiring Bush v. Gore presidential campaign, people actually argued that there weren't major differences between the Democratic and Republican parties? Once in a while someone will still make this argument (and on certain subjects there's a measure of truth to it), but far more people today would say that Democrats and Republicans disagree on everything than disagree on nothing.
While the parties don't disagree on everything, they do disagree on taxes. The National Association of State Budget Officers released a report (large PDF) recently documenting tax rate changes for Fiscal Year 2010. A dozen states raised personal income tax rates: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
What do those states have in common? In every single one, both houses of the legislature are controlled by Democrats.
By the way, if you wanted to be really cynical you might say that there aren't major differences between the Democratic and Republican parties and that they disagree on everything.
GOVERNING Politics is the place for news and analysis on campaigns and elections. If there's a ballot measure in California, a legislative election in Alabama, a mayoral election in Anchorage or a governor's race in Rhode Island, GOVERNING Politics probably is writing about it. We love everything about state and local politics, from polls and campaign ads to policy debates and demographic trends.
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