Read their lips?

It’s unlikely either candidate for the Kansas governor’s office will suggest a tax increase before the election, but how about afterward?

Remember when George Bush  the father  stared into the camera and said, “Read my lips. No new taxes”?

The statement came back to haunt him after he was elected and he had to eat his words and sign off on new federal taxes.

It will be interesting to see whether the next governor of Kansas suffers the same fate. Despite what some people see as overwhelming evidence to the contrary, both Democrat Kathleen Sebelius and Republican Tim Shallenburger persist in their contention that they can preserve, or even increase, funding to the state’s public schools without raising taxes.

The current economic downturn has been hard on school funding. Revenue shortfalls already have left many local school districts with funding below what they had last year, and more cuts are expected at the first of the year. How will that funding be restored without additional sources of revenue?

Sebelius talks about a comprehensive audit of state operations and how it might reveal opportunities to save money that could be directed to education. Shallenburger alternately opposes and supports additional funding for schools but is no more specific about where the money would come from.

Does this strategy serve voters? The candidates have backed themselves into their respective corners on the issue of tax increases. Neither wants to leave themselves open for attack from the other side by being the first to acknowledge that tax increases might be necessary to address the current economic crisis.

As far as the voters are concerned, the theory that it’s easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission seems to apply. There are few things more universally popular with voters than to say you won’t raise taxes. It’s much easier to explain to voters after you’re in office why you were wrong about that tax-increase thing than to try to sell them on the idea before they go to the polls.

It’s easy to condemn the candidates for their lack of candor on the issue of raising taxes, but voters also share the blame. Too many voters don’t follow either state government or state political campaigns closely enough to follow any rationale a candidate for governor might offer for why taxes may need to be raised. In the age of sound-bite politics, the winning strategy is to tell voters what they want to hear.

“No new taxes” sounds good to Kansans. It also sounded good to George H.W. Bush. The post-election reality may not be as pleasant.