Traverse City Record-Eagle

Other Views

February 4, 2012

Another view: Words of a weasel

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In his Missourinet blog this week, Bob Priddy (news director for the Missourinet, a statewide radio network) took state legislators to task for rhetoric and tossing about phrases such as revenue enhancement.

Priddy relates that it was Theodore Roosevelt, recalling a friend in 1879, who would have called phrases such as "revenue enhancement" weasel words.

"Today our politicians are proud to proclaim they have proposed or approved new budgets 'without a tax increase.' The fact that along the way, they cut funding to higher and lower education, for example, is secondary to holding the line on taxes," Priddy writes.

(He) reminded us of another set of words that fall into the category of weasel words.

It's the rhetoric used when government officials go to the voters asking them to extend a tax that otherwise would expire. In pushing for the extension, they insist that it won't bring about a tax increase.

Weasel words, of course. Because taxpayers will be paying more taxes. It's a lot like renewing the loan on your house. You pay more money, even though your payment may not go up.

If it sounds too good to be true, then it's always worth putting the fine print against the magnifying glass.

The Joplin Globe Joplin, Mo.

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