Today I proudly voted NO, to both of our county’s E-SPLOST, and our region’s T-SPLOST. I have many reasons for voting this way on both.
E-SPLOST’s NO vote is because I entirely disagree with the way our county manages it’s current school system, including the demolition and rebuilding of a number of schools. We neglect them, so that in X years, we need to demolish it and build one that costs twice what renovation would cost in the name of the safety of our children. Yeah right.
T-SPLOST’s NO vote is because of a number of reasons. First off, a 10-year tax? No thank you. That right there should have been reason enough for it to have gained a NO vote. If you’re confident in your projects, your studies, etc., then it should have been a yearly tax that is renewed so that the constituents could have a chance to reevaluate the projects and decide for themselves whether it’s worth their money or not. Another reason is the way GDOT went about the whole referendum. The percentage of match is based on whether it gets put up for vote, as well as how it gets voted. So we’re going to punish those that vote it down. Really?! Another reason is because it’s a tax that hits the middle & lower classes the most, yet the upper class receives their shield as usual. It adds 1% tax to all of our necessities, food, etc., and gives that shield to those that regularly purchase their big ticket items by exempting purchases of $5,000.
I just love how things like this are almost hidden, leaving you with a virtually hidden tax(or tax increase, depending on how you look at it). In my case, the credit reduction was first discovered when I was filing my 940.
What is credit reduction? Any state that has not repaid money it borrowed from the federal government to pay unemployment benefits is subject to credit reduction. The Department of Labor determines what states will be subject to credit reduction. If an employer pays wages in a state that is subject to the unemployment tax laws of a credit reduction state, that employer must pay additional federal unemployment tax when filing its Form 940. This reduction is calculated using the Schedule A (Form 940).
For 2011, wages subject to the unemployment compensation laws of the State of AR, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NV, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, Virgin Islands, and WI are subject to credit reduction.
First off, SPLOST stands for Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. It’s an additional tax that’s added to the sales tax that voters vote on. The proposed tax always comes with a project list that it would support. E-SPLOST is an educational SPLOST, and T-SPLOST is a transportation SPLOST.
I’m against both of the taxes that are coming up for vote/renewal for different reasons.
I’m against the E-SPLOST because of the way our county operates it’s budget and has managed the previous E-SPLOST. I’m sure many will vote ‘yes’ on this for the sole reason that it has to do with funding going to education. But before one votes to give them another check to spend as they see fit, they need to look at the prior projects that E-SPLOST has provided. It’s almost a running joke around everyone in the entire county how they just can’t seem to ever have enough schools built. I don’t even know the number of schools we have now, because every time you turn around, another $20-30M school is being built. We’re to the point that we’re neglecting the older schools to give way for a future project-that project being to tear down and replace the neglected school rather than go the cheaper route and maintain the school. I went to the school that I’m talking about, and even though it’s been over 10 years ago, there is no way that it would be to the point that it is unsafe for the children if they had not ignored maintenance for so long. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that one of the contractors for all of these new schools has some ties to those that propose these sort of taxes on the voters.
The Tea Party gets alot of attacks from people that don’t understand what the movement stands for, especially from the Left. It’s pretty easy to understand though, those that were sent to Washington from the Tea Party, were sent with the message that the people are sick and tired of all the wasteful spending that is driving up our national debt with these unfathomable yearly deficits. This book is definitely worth reading if you are unsure what the Tea Party is really about, or if you find yourself being one of those people that blindly attack the movement.
I’ve enclosed a check for the remainder of taxes that I owe you. Please use this money as best you can to ensure that our current wars are continued indefinitely, you continue your expansion and takeover of our medical system and whatever other private sectors you deem necessary, and you continue to pay our legislatures their high price tag to pass such wonderful and much needed legislation. Please continue to erode away our liberties and freedoms, because I know you have my best interests at heart, and please don’t forget to spend much more than what I’m sending you on my behalf to ensure that our National Debt continues to rise as fast as it has in recent months.
With much sarcasm,
Shane
When it comes to paying for a health care overhaul, Americans see just one way to go: Tax the rich.
The House bill would impose a 5.4 percent income tax surcharge on individuals making more than $500,000 a year and households making more than $1 million. Source
Maybe I’m in the minority here, and in no way do I fall in this category, or ever will, of earnings, but I just don’t get why everyone thinks the rich should pay for things like this. I hate knowing that the taxes that I already pay are going to be distributed to some people that are just too sorry to get out and make better for themselves. Too set in their way of free handouts to ever want to make something out of their lives. I understand that we need social services. There are people that are born disabled, become disabled, or what have you. They do indeed need help with the cost of living. This is something that cannot be avoided. But there is too much fraud, too much neglect in the systems that we already have, to expand them and make the rich carry the price tag for such. Where does this take the motivation to become successful and rich in America?
It’s hard not to be concerned with seeing the unemployment rate rise month after month. Just today the numbers were released bringing the national percentage up to 9.5%, a 26 year high. You hear all of these predictions like, “expecting to only see another 1 million jobs lost for the rest of the year” and you really can’t put any faith at all in the economists’ predictions. They naturally change their predictions often, and when the single month of June alone was -467k, it’s hard to imagine only another 1 million jobs will be lost over the next 6 months.
Georgia is sitting at a 9.7% unemployment rate as of May 2009, and my county, Whitfield County, had a rate of 12.4% for May. Not as bad as some of course, but that’s nothing at all to be happy or proud of. My county’s major industry was carpet, so when the housing bubble popped, so did things here. I won’t even bring up budget deficits.
My Grandma’s car recently had a severe overheating problem that put it in the shop for the past few weeks. It’s back on the road now, but her concern now is that she’ll never really trust it again for any trip that is a decent distance away from home. Repairing it wasn’t the suggestion that I would have given, but I was never really asked and didn’t find out that it was getting repaired until after the fact. So right now she is considering buying a new car, which couldn’t come at a better time in the market. Lots of deals to be had and a lot of inventory out there.
She told me that her sister took her to look at the Toyota’s to see if she could find one she liked. I immediately sort of cringed because I’m not impressed at all with the foreign automakers. I’ve ridden/drove in Toyota’s, Kia’s, Honda’s, etc. and have yet to see or feel what all the critics rave about. Perhaps I’m just biased? I would love to see her consider the new Chevrolet Malibu. The car looks great, nice gas mileage, and if I’m not mistaken is the top car in it’s class. The American automakers have really stepped up their game.
I’ve been thinking all along that Washington is going about the “bailouts” of the banking industries and the auto industries completely unfair. Whether you are for or against the bailouts of either sector, I think that should be one thing you can agree with. Banks have received money numerous times, CEOs still intact, wasting millions of taxpayer money in bogus bonuses, etc., while the auto industries are being treated in a completely different manner.
Today Rick Wagoner (CEO of GM) was asked to step down, a man that worked his way from the bottom to the top, working for $1/yr salary, and obviously wanting to see General Motors succeed. He sat in front of Congress for hours getting grilled when he could have easily stepped down. That is a man that wasn’t there just for the pay, but one that wanted to see a turnaround in his company to become a viable company once again. While the CEOs of Citi, and others, are still being paid their handsome salaries and are no where near being profitable businesses. This doesn’t set well with me.
The video below explains the graph in more detail. This is why I personally just can’t come to support any stimulus bills, stimulus checks, or any bailouts. Even though they may seem like they’re needed and can help, it looks to me like it just pushes off one problem and makes it become another a little later on.
Interesting times ahead, especially with the news from California today.
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
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