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When is a pledge not a commitment?

By: Jim Waters

There is nothing quite so marvelous as a promise made and then kept. On the other hand, there’s nothing so appalling as a pledge offered – and then broken – regardless of the circumstances involved.

Today, 51 Kentucky legislators have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge – second only to the number of pledge-signers in South Carolina. Many of the signers used their pledge to gain political advantage over their rivals. Many voters apparently were pleased as many signers were elected or re-elected.

However, some lawmakers have now rescinded or are being pressured to back down on their promise not to raise taxes. A few have claimed they made their no-new-taxes pledge at a time when Kentucky’s coffers were full. Now, they say, times are different.

But should a change in circumstances determine the length by which one keeps his or her word?

If a grocery store employee has agreed not to steal from his employer as a condition of employment, is he then justified in stealing a bag of groceries when his bank account becomes overdrawn?

Some pledge-droppers claim not to have known they were making “lifelong” commitments when they signed this pledge. But does time diminish the value of a pledge?

Suppose a candidate pledges not to take kickbacks from road contractors seeking state contracts if he is elected. Does that promise have any value if it remains in place only as long as contractors are not seeking bids but is thrown aside as soon as contracts are open for bidding?

The value of a pledge made in good times is the usefulness it offers during unfavorable circumstances.

Most weddings include vows that are made during the best of times. But the good marriages are those where promises to remain committed “for better, for worse” are kept for a lifetime.

History shows that Americans listen carefully when promises are made to hold the line on taxes.

When former President George H.W. Bush uttered his famous “read-my-lips … no-new-taxes” line, voters paid attention and elected him. It’s no wonder then that abandoning that same pledge was the beginning of the end of that Bush’s political career.

Why do Kentucky politicians think they can break their pledge not to raise taxes without paying the same political price? Perhaps they hope that the hometown folks who voted for them will forget this change of heart the next time they go to the polls. Fat chance.

For the past 20 years, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, has taken it upon himself to hold politicians across the nation accountable for the promises they make not to raise taxes while occupying the office to which they were elected.

He understands that the essence of our constitutional republic is the trust conveyed to an elected representative from a voter. If a legislator says one thing during a campaign and does another when difficult issues arise, he misrepresents his constituents and demeans the democratic process.

There is no question that Kentucky policymakers face tough decisions in the days ahead.

Special interest groups claim that abiding by the no-new-taxes pledge during such times is foolish. But those that break their promises when the going gets tough mistakenly place their own political interests above those of the voters who elected them.

Governing is not about appeasing the emotional claims of those who would benefit from such disloyalty. Rather, it’s about leading in a way that benefits the interests of all constituents over the long haul. It often means cutting spending and establishing priorities because protecting Kentucky’s taxpayers is never a foolish endeavor.

Frankfort needs policymakers who understand that making decisions based on what’s best for all Kentuckians sometimes means upsetting the raucous minority. But most Kentuckians – even when the votes don’t go their way – still hold in high esteem leaders who keep their word.

“What a marvelous thing a promise is!” wrote the late ethicist Lewis Smedes. “When a person makes a promise, she reaches out into an unpredictable future and makes one thing predictable: she will be there when even being there costs her more than she wants to pay. … With one simple word of promise, a person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty.”

– Jim Waters is director of policy and communications for the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky’s free-market think tank.

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