Copeland's F7 Tornado and Tax Credits

Over the weekend Donnie Copeland, candidate for Lieutenant Governor here in the Natural State, said he wants to give every Arkansan a $4,000 tax credit in order to build a “safe room” onto their home that will withstand an F7 tornado. This according to an article in the Times Record Online.


OK folks, let’s just start with the obvious, there is no such thing as an F7 tornado. The Fujita Scale, which is used to rate tornado intensity, only goes up to an F5. This is pretty common knowledge and something that someone like Mr. Copeland should know since he is advocating for the building of tornado shelters.

For the sake of argument, let’s just say we get a tornado that exceeds the F5 wind speed of 319mph. I am not an engineer to be sure, but I don’t think it takes one to understand that building a structure which could securely withstand such devastation would be cost prohibitive to nearly all Arkansans, even with a $4,000 handout.

Which brings me to the point of the $4,000 handout, and it IS a handout. A tax credit is not a refund of money you paid to the state; it is a way to redistribute your tax dollars. You build a tornado shelter and the government gives you a check; if that isn’t a handout, I don’t know what is. So, Mr. Copeland would like to take your tax dollars and spread them around to folks who can afford to build solid concrete and rebar structure so they can survive a natural disaster. I guess this part of his “creative” vision for the Lt. Governor’s office.

Copeland was quoted as saying, "I don't want to be the party of no, I want to be the party of ‘Whoa, that was a great idea.”

Seriously, who is supporting this guy? He sounds an awful lot like the liberal D.C. insiders who continue to fling insults at the GOP.

I really am beginning to question how this man, in good conscience, can call himself a conservative or even run on the Republican ticket.