Speak Out

CHARLESTON, S.C. — As state lawmakers convene this month in legislatures across the South, they might want to reflect a little on the life of President Ford.

Ford, whose life came to a close at the end of the testy political year of 2006, is an example of how one can be decent and in public service.

“He played in the middle of the line,” television anchorman Tom Brokaw said at Ford's national funeral. “He was the center, a position that seldom receives much praise. But he had his hands on the ball for every play. No play could start without him.”

In the modern-day politics of personal destruction, sound bytes and zealous partisanship, Ford's decency should be remembered as an important road for more leaders to travel.

Decency suggests respect. In news stories about Ford, colleagues remembered how he could be completely against an opponent's position but end up going to a pleasant dinner with the opponent. In other words, it wasn't tough for Ford, like many politicians of yesterday, to have a political difference with a particular Republican or Democrat. But he and his generation had a healthy respect for the process that allowed them to be friendly and cordial.

Such camaraderie seems missing from current American slash-and-burn politics. Perhaps, however, it is slowly ascending. On the national front, Democrats now control the House and Senate, in part, because people seemed to tire of a continuing meanness in politics. On a more regional level, groups that may seem to have little in common are working together more.

For example, the evangelical Christian organization Redeem the Vote in 2006 helped push efforts to modernize state tax codes that are espoused by the progressive Center for a Better South.

Redeem the Vote's Dr. Randy Brinson, the new head of Alabama's Christian Coalition, recently said, “We have found that Christians support limited government when government seeks to impose its will on people regarding deeply held moral beliefs, but they also understand that the private sector cannot solve all problems and that government can be an instrument of good.”

Decency like that exercised by Ford also suggests being fair. As Southern state lawmakers grapple with budgets for the coming year, they can make things fairer for more people in their states by modernizing how they tax people. Among the recommendations in the Center's 2006 tax reform book, “Doing Better,” are:

• States should broaden their sales tax bases. Instead of exempting millions of dollars from sales taxes, state leaders should review the reasons for exemptions to ensure they continue to be needed in today's economy.

• States should modernize sales taxes. Southern states tend to tax far fewer services than other states. This creates inequities — particularly for a lot of small business owners who pay taxes that others may not.

• States should use tax codes to reduce poverty. By enacting a state Earned Income Tax Credit and modernizing income tax brackets, states can boost fairness across the board.

• States should promote transparency and accountability. Not only can states provide more information to taxpayers about how they spend money, they can take steps to provide constant monitoring of government's performance to ensure it is doing what needs to be done well.

Southerners may not agree with everything offered by their state governments but they do expect for them to be fair, open and decent. Southern legislators should emulate Gerald Ford's style of leadership in 2007 by promoting better, more decent government.

Andy Brack is chairman and president of the Center for a Better South — www.bettersouth.org — a regional think tank based in Charleston, S.C.