Political Promises, Programs and Plans
This is the season of political promises, spending programs and tax plans. The New Jersey legislature is talking about levying new taxes, to pay for tax rebates, which were previously promised to gain acceptance of an income tax, which was enacted as property tax relief. Has anyone noticed creating new or raising existing taxes to reduce other taxes hasn’t worked?
Once the raise taxes to lower taxes strategy has been taken about as far as any politician dares to go, it’s on to plan B. This is the ever popular we’ll raise the other guy’s taxes to provide government services which you and yours just can’t live without. Has anyone noticed the other guy that winds up being taxed is you?
How many people believe they don’t pay enough in taxes? Anyone that believes their taxes are too low is welcome to submit a H.O.T. Tax return along with payment to your local government and/or the state’s treasury department. Now that we’ve raised taxes in a democratic fashion, let’s talk about the services the government really must provide.
Let’s have everyone name five (5) state or local government services each considers to be essential. Those services the individual, the individual’s family or community just could not possibly live comfortably without. Once we have democratically decided the government services we need, we can figure out how much we are willing to pay for those services and who is going to pay for them.
Once the raise taxes to lower taxes strategy has been taken about as far as any politician dares to go, it’s on to plan B. This is the ever popular we’ll raise the other guy’s taxes to provide government services which you and yours just can’t live without. Has anyone noticed the other guy that winds up being taxed is you?
How many people believe they don’t pay enough in taxes? Anyone that believes their taxes are too low is welcome to submit a H.O.T. Tax return along with payment to your local government and/or the state’s treasury department. Now that we’ve raised taxes in a democratic fashion, let’s talk about the services the government really must provide.
Let’s have everyone name five (5) state or local government services each considers to be essential. Those services the individual, the individual’s family or community just could not possibly live comfortably without. Once we have democratically decided the government services we need, we can figure out how much we are willing to pay for those services and who is going to pay for them.
Posted by Enlighten-NewJersey @ 11:18 PM
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4 Comments:
Corzine has in his ads that the "rebates will go to the people instead of the politicians." What kind of vague bullshit is he peddling now? When did rebates ever go to politicians? I guess this is some feeble attempt on his part to portray himself as separate from the politicians and party bosses he has given millions to. Like we're going to buy that crap.
How about non-essential also (or instead), like the Secretary of State. In that case, clearly an argument can be made for transferring some of its functions to other departments and eliminating the department entirely. The problem I have with doing it solely from your end is, for example, looking the Attorney General's Office which I think is essential (regardless of the current ineffectiveness of the department) there are a number of departments within that agency that do duplicate functions that you never hear of and are clearly patronage jobs or perform functions that are absured. That is where some of real cost savings will be when you go department by department within the agency itself even with those agencies that are considered "essential." It's kinda the throwing the baby out with the bathwater thing.
Three local sevices we live without:
Garbage pick-up: the Township doesn't.
Public schools: we've gone private.
Leaf and branch removal: soon to be gone.
You have leaf and branch removal? Crazy.
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