An Election Bright Spot

Pretty grim news this post-election morning. In New York, a great capitalist city, a pro-Sandinista tax-the-rich type, Bill de Blasio, has been elected mayor. In Boston, a vast expenditure by labor unions has thrust a union official into the mayoralty. In New Jersey, the victory of Chris Christie may give some reassurance to those who favor restraints on government expenditures and a hard line against public employee unions, but those of us who are concerned by Governor Christie's dictatorial tendencies now have to reckon with him as a strengthened force headed into 2016. The one real bright spot is Colorado, where, the Denver Post reports, voters "emphatically" rejected a $950 million tax increase (ostensibly for education) that had the backing of Michael Bloomberg, the National Education Association (a teachers union), and Bill and Melinda Gates. The tax increase would have raised income taxes in Colorado to 5% on income under $75,000 a year and to 5.9% on income above $75,000 a year, from the current flat 4.63% rate.