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View as PDF Chicago —Taxpayers United of America (TUA) has fought disastrous government tax policies for forty years, and unfortunately, the government thrives off of the poor decisions made by politicians. Earlier this week, sources close to former President George H. W. Bush (R) leaked word that he would vote for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) in this November’s presidential election.
As a non-partisan taxpayer advocacy organization, the politics of that disclosure aren’t as relevant as the impact of tax policies on the economy and your average taxpayer’s bank account. Clinton, hardly a budget hawk, seems like an odd choice for the former president, unless you know his record.

At the 1988 Republican National Convention, then-Vice President Bush made his notorious statement, “My opponent won’t rule out raising taxes. But I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes and I’ll say no. And they’ll push, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push again, and I’ll say, to them, ‘Read my lips: no new taxes.’”
However, two years later, Congress pushed for higher taxes and Bush capitulated, signing into law higher income tax rates, raising taxes on gasoline, tobacco, liquor, wine and beer, as well as hitting the elderly with higher premiums and deductibles for Medicare.
“We’re upset that Congressman Daniel Rostenkowski (D) and President Bush are about to sign the biggest tax increase in Washington since 1982,” said TUA’s president and founder, Jim Tobin, as he led protests in Chicago against the powerful chair of the House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee and President Bush. The Chicago protest coincided with other taxpayers voicing their grievances with the government across the country. “If politicians tell you that they are trying to balance the budget, they’re lying. They plan on more than $100 billion in higher spending next year,” concluded Tobin.
As the government accrues massive debts and increasingly spends beyond its budget, taxpayers are doubly burdened with tax hikes and a weakened economy. The private sector is drained of resources, and the government perpetuates its cycle of debt, spending and taxes, only to offer more of the same as a solution.
Bush denounced tax hikes in 1988 only to relent two years later. The subsequent failing economy sank his approval ratings leading into the 1992 election, which he then lost to Bill Clinton (D).
TUA’s opposition to ruinous tax policies is not bound by political party, but only our fidelity to taxpayers. Average folks struggle to provide for themselves and their families, due in large part to counterproductive government taxes. Taxpayers can trust that TUA will always champion the interests of our supporters and members, never backing down or compromising, unlike former President and current Hillary Clinton supporter, George H. W. Bush.