Now Mica is calling for tax increases. Please, just go away.

"There's no way in hell I would support banning earmarks" ~ John Mica

Well, I guess we now know how John Mica plans on paying for those earmarks and pet projects he loves so much: tax increases! 

Despite the fact that the 20-year incumbent has been desperately trying to re-brand himself as a fiscal conservative in his primary battle with Sandy Adams, Mica was in Atlanta on Friday and did his best to talk the locals into voting for a tax increase. Yes, really. 

The issue is a one percent sales tax referendum that would be used to pay for transportation projects. Polling shows that the idea of adding this new tax right now is highly unpopular, and support for the referendum continuing to slip.

Of course, that didn't slow Mica down one bit, as he extolled the virtues of raising taxes in order to make it easier to ask for more federal spending...wait...hang on a minute here. What the Frankincense is he talking about?

Didn't John Mica get the memo? "Conservative Republicans" and "Fiscal Conservative Fighters" (or whatever misleading catchphrase is on the latest Mica mailer!) generally don't go around advocating for more tax increases and government spending. 

Is John Mica really so enamored of wild government spending that he can't even manage to shut up about it for a few months while he's running for reelection? Seriously? That's pretty pathetic.

OK, fine, we'll just file this under Reason #7,518,342 that I'm supporting Sandy Adams. I like her "Washington as usual has got to stop" attitude so much better than this nonsense.

Press release from Adams campaign:

Mica Advocates Higher Taxes, More Government in Georgia

Mica Pitches the Liberal Tax-and-Spend Line

Orlando, FL – In a speech to Atlanta, Georgia residents Friday, 20-year Washington politician John Mica once again showed his thirst for government spending by advocating for a tax increase facing voters in the region.

In his remarks to a special interest group, the Urban Land Institute and Center for Quality Growth, Mica encouraged Georgians to support higher taxes so they can get more money from Washington, D.C.

In news coverage of the speech, WABA Radio reported that, “During his speech, Mica said communities that don’t invest in transportation on the front end could lose the race to win federal transportation funds.” That “investment” refers to the proposed tax increase. This is the fourth time that Mica has advocated for higher taxes this year. He included in his budget-busting highway bill a tax on tobacco that put roll-your-own cigarette shops out of business, costing hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs across the nation, as well as the creation of toll roads on I-4. Earlier this year it was also reported that Mica was considering having drivers start paying taxes based on the number of miles they drive.

“This is yet another example of why John Mica has become part of the problem in Washington,” said Lisa Boothe, spokeswoman for Sandy Adams. “We are facing a $16 trillion national debt and a $1.5 trillion deficit, yet Mica continues to advocate for more spending and more taxes. It’s time Central Florida voters said ‘enough’ to the business as usual tax-and-spend ways of Washington insiders.”

Instead of increasing Washington’s control of your tax dollars, freshman Sandy Adams supports legislation to eliminate virtually all federal control of infrastructure funding, devolving that power back to the states. Doing so will stop big spending politicans like Mica from holding communities like Atlanta hostage to higher taxes in order to get back their gas tax dollars from the federal government.

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