HANCOCK DISCUSSES PLAN TO COUNTER TAX INCREASES

About 30 people turned out Monday night to hear U.S. Rep. Mel Hancock's opinion of the latest federal and state tax increases and his proposal to do something about them.

Hancock, a Southwest Missouri congressman serving his third term, was the author of the 1980 amendment which bears his name. It limits the growth of state spending each year to the same percentage as the growth of Missourians' personal income.

But in the 13 years since the amendment's passage, state legislators have found ways around the amendment, Hancock said, culminating in the latest tax hike signed by Gov. Mel Carnahan in May.

In response to such maneuvering, Hancock has teamed up with United We Stand America in Missouri to rally support and solicit donations for Hancock II an initiative which would require a vote of the people on all measures which call for a tax increase.

"If we cannot control our government's ability to tax, then we are no longer a constitutional nation," Hancock said.

"The question we face tonight is, Can we draft an amendment to limit the amount our government can tax us?

"I know we can," he said.

"In the 1814 decision of McCullough v. Maryland, a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court wrote in his opinion, `The power to tax is the power to destroy,'" Hancock continued. "I cannot stand by and watch that happen."

Monday's meeting at the Cape Girardeau Public Library was the 17th stop in a series of 19 public hearings being held across the state. Their purpose is to gain support and hear citizens' input on the proposed amendment.

What the Hancock II movement proposes is a constitutional amendment which would require a vote of the people on state tax increases. Hancock also is kicking around the idea of including a sunset clause, which would require a revote on each tax initiative every five years.

"The sunset clause would hold the legislators accountable for their actions," Hancock said. "They would have to prove to the people every five years that their tax money is being used as government said it would be."

The soonest the initiative could be put before voters is November 1994, he said.

The group also plans to bring a series of potential lawsuits challenging current state legislation, including the recently passed Senate Bill 380.

"It isn't going to be cheap," Hancock said of the initiative. "We expect when it is all said and done, it will cost $2 million.

"But Mel Carnahan spent $4 million on his campaign to be elected governor," he continued. "I believe we can afford to spend half of that to make him keep his word."

Hancock told the group that a Southwest Missouri State University professor studied the effectiveness of the Hancock Amendment last year and concluded that it has saved Missouri taxpayers about $1 billion since its passage.

On that note, Hancock called for volunteers throughout the state to begin a petition drive in support of Hancock II.

"I'm looking for people who believe in our system and are as scared as I am about what our elected officials are doing," he said. "I believe what they are doing is unconstitutional, and I am prepared to do something about it.

"The question is, Are you the people ready to do the same?" he said.