Hideous Monsters
Kevin McCullough
How else can you put it?
Because I’ve tried to find a more charitable explanation for what these four blue-state governors in California, New York, Illinois, and Colorado are doing—and I keep coming back to the same conclusion. There isn’t one.
This is not about policy. This is not about budget necessity. This is not about fairness, equity, or any of the other buzzwords they love to hide behind.
This is about spite. Pure, uncut, political spite.
Let’s start with the basic, undeniable fact: President Trump’s “no tax on tips and overtime” policy applied to federal taxes. That’s it. Washington’s cut. The IRS’s reach. The federal government stepping back and letting working Americans keep more of what they earn.
It did not touch state tax systems. It did not raid state budgets. It did not strip one single dime from Sacramento, Albany, Springfield, or wherever else these governors sit behind their polished desks pretending to care about the working class.
And yet—here they are. Rushing to make sure that even if the federal government gives relief, they won’t. That even if Washington backs off, they will step in. That even if a waitress, a bartender, a delivery driver, or a construction worker finally gets a break… these governors will find a way to claw it back. For no reason. None. And that’s what makes this so grotesque.
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https://townhall.com/columnists/kevinmccullough/2026/04/17/hideous-monsters-n2674633
