Fuschillo Doesn't Want to Give the Full Story

State Senator Fuschillo writes to the Farmingdale Observer this week about the tax on drugs we talked about two weeks ago when Nassau Young Republican Prez Andy Stream went a little nuts.
Like Stream, Fuschillo grabs the wheel and takes the car over the edge.
Click here to read why Fuschillo like Stream is so wrong.

Below is Fuschillo who is either willfully ignorant of the facts or more than willing to deceive the readers of the Farmingdale Observer. My comments are in red.

"Among the many absurdities proposed by New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer in his 2008-09 Executive Budget is a plan to tax illegal drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. The governor is hoping to use the revenue collected from drug dealers to help close the state budget deficit.

Fuschillo writes of "absurdities" in his letter in the Feb, 15th issue while making absurd
comments himself. Like a typical lying politician, Fuschillo spews forth hoping that the readers of his letter don't bother to check the veracity of what he writes.

Under his proposal, drug dealers would voluntarily purchase tax stamps through the State Department of Taxation and Finance and affix them to the drugs they sell.

Why doesn't Fuschillo mention the fact that the Governor does not expect drug dealers to pay pre-sale tax on their drugs by buying the tax stamps. I hope Fuschillo doesn't really believe that drug dealers will come forward to pay taxes.

It's absurd that Governor Spitzer is relying on the sale of illegal drugs to balance the books in New York State. If the governor wants to raise revenues from drug dealers then instead of advocating this bizarre and convoluted plan, he should work with the legislature to increase the fines and penalties imposed on dealers when they are convicted.

Like the twenty-nine other states which have the same law, drug dealers will be fined after they are arrested. The point is to makethe drug dealers pay for their crimes on top of going
to jail. And even if the dealer gets a light sentence, they will still have to pay the fine. This system works quite well in states like Texas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Georgia and Utah. In Tennessee, the state generated $6million since 2006.

The governor's so-called "crack tax" proposal also provides a confidentiality clause to protect drug dealers. Under his plan, drug dealers who pay the tax would not be turned over to the police by state tax officials.

The "confidentiality clause" is there to protect the constitutionality of the law. In the other states, there have been attempts to over-turn the existing drug tax law because of double jeopardy claims. Maybe Fuschillo knows that already but decided deception is the way to go when writing to his constituents. And again, no one expects drug dealers to pay their taxes. In North Carolina, the only people buying the tax stamps are stamp collectors.

The governor needs to refocus his attention to real proposals that will save taxpayers money, provide students with a quality education and protect our citizens, not put them in further danger.

I'm trying to figure out how as Fuschillo says that this plan will put citizens "in further danger." Most likely it's just hyperbole someone who would rather use scare tactics than the facts. Instead of attacking a proposal that will penalize drug dealers and make money for the state, Fuschillo can come up with his own plan for increasing revenue without taxing honest working people.