Evil Politicians :(

State lawmakers OK cigarette tax increase
Extra money will go toward education

As the temperature climbs this summer, so will the price of a pack of cigarettes in Tennessee — thanks to a tax hike approved Monday by lawmakers.

The 42-cent-per-pack increase, slated to start July 1, will bring in about $250 million, with most of it going to education initiatives.

I must have missed something, because I was under the impression they had cut the increase to 20 cents per pack.

But it also will force 76-year-old Madison resident Jean Mosley to quit smoking, a three-pack-a-week habit for her. Without nicotine, the fixed-income retiree says she’ll turn to prescription nerve pills.

So, greedy lawmakers are going to turn this elderly, occasional smoker into a prescription drug junkie, no doubt paid for by taxpayers through Medicare. Nice.

The new 62-cent tax still will be well below the national average of 80 cents per pack. Many anti-tax advocates and Republican lawmakers opposed Gov. Phil Bredesen’s plan to increase the tax in light of the state’s $300 million revenue surplus.

“We’ve got plenty of money,” said Rep. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, who opposed the increase. The House voted for it Monday night, 59-34.

Yeah, the state has plenty of money, but that doesn’t stop those yahoos from sucking more money out our pockets.

At-risk students and English-language learners will be the biggest beneficiaries of the increase, netting about $120 million.

Schools can use that money for resources like computers, something second-grade teacher Mark Bates says Goodlettsville Elementary School could really use. “The way I look at it … if it helps the education system, I’m for it,” Bates said.

So, kids with disciplinary problems will benefit….again. Bring back corporal punishment, that should save a few bucks.

Gimme More

6 in House say no to their share of surplus
Most seek $100,000 for their districts

Most Tennessee state representatives each want to spend $100,000 in their districts, ranging from funding volunteer fire departments to a community fireworks display.

House Finance Chairman Craig Fitzhugh, D-Ripley, released a full list of the projects Wednesday. The projects that would be funded from the state budget surplus must be voted up or down individually by a committee and agreed upon by the Senate, which has its own plan for project spending.

Now, here’s a whacky thought! Why is it necessary to actually SPEND that money? Why not leave it in an account that draws interest and save it for something like, oh say, a natural disaster? Silly me.

Only six representatives did not request any money for their districts: Reps. Beth Harwell, R-Nashville; Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown; Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet; Jimmy Matlock, R-Lenoir City; Donna Rowland, R-Murfreesboro; and Larry Turner, D-Memphis.

Kelsey brought a slice of bacon to a House floor session last week to protest against the projects.

I like that guy! He’s got zip! 🙂 I do notice there is one Democrat in that bunch not requesting money.

Democrats have supported the plan to allow each representative a chance to request money to be spent on local governments and nonprofit groups. Many Republicans have characterized the plan as pork-barrel spending, but most have applied to get their share.

It is pork! I can’t imagine what any district could do with just a 100 grand. Plant a couple of trees maybe? Any project they could come up with will end up costing more than anticipated (these are gubmint folks ya know, it always does), so then they’ll be going back to Nashville with the idea they can get more from the states taxpayer to finish their little projects.

“Quite frankly I’m proud of that we’re all going to be able take back some money to address some needs in our local governments and local communities,” said House Majority Leader Gary Odom, a Nashville Democrat.

Why is it that only a politician can get away with being ‘proud’ of snatching money out of the pockets of the common folk?

House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower, R-Bristol, said the Republican Caucus wanted to stop the local projects plan.

“When it became clear that the challenge was unable to be risen to, many members did file such a request” for funding, he said Monday.

Obviously, the rest of them all had their hands out! “Please sir, can I have some more?”

Taxing Illegals

Here illegally? Tax due anyway

Among those lining up inside Latin & American Services for help filing their taxes ahead of Tuesday’s deadline: illegal workers.

Wouldn’t this be a good way to find out who broke the law and is living in this country illegally?

Like others, undocumented workers want their refunds, said Eneida Orama, owner of the business nestled among Latino shops and eateries in east Charlotte. But mostly her clients, Orama said, file taxes to stay right with the law.

I have a great deal of sympathy for these folks, but if they wanted to “stay right with the law”, they shouldn’t have snuck into the country, illegally.

Many illegal immigrants hope filing taxes regularly will help them to become legal citizens if there is a future amnesty.

Amnesty was a bad idea back in the 80’s when Ronald Reagan granted it, and it’s a bad idea now.

“The majority look at it as, `If I do my taxes … this will help me get legal standing in the U.S.,’ ” said Orama, 41, who grew up in New Jersey but whose family is from Puerto Rico.

Now, I get to show my complete and utter ignorance: I thought Puerto Rico was a U.S. territory, so how come someone from there be illegal?

Among the tax filers one recent afternoon at Latin & American Services, opened in 2001 as illegal workers flooded into the Carolinas, was Jose Garcia, his wife and two small children. He and his wife came to the U.S. illegally from Honduras four years ago, he says, but he’s filed his taxes every year.

“It’s like an obligation,” Garcia, 25, said of filing taxes. “And it shows we’ve been here for so long and that I have complied with the law.”

I honestly admire those who want to do the right thing by complying with the tax laws. That being said, I also am beyond annoyed that by filing their taxes, they think it’s ok that they came into the country illegally. It is not!

In 1996, the IRS began issuing individual taxpayer identification numbers, called ITINs. Undocumented workers are to use these nine-digit numbers, which start with “9,” in place of Social Security numbers when filing their taxes. So far, the IRS has issued nearly 11 million ITINs. While foreign nationals with work privileges and tax-filing requirements in the U.S. can also get ITINs, most of the numbers are believed to have gone to undocumented workers and their dependents.

Helloooooo? KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! The federal government is aiding and abetting illegal aliens? What is wrong with THIS picture!?

The IRS issued 1.5 million ITINs in 2006, a 30 percent increase from the previous year.

30 percent increase? I’d say that was a good indication that we have seriously porous borders, wouldn’t you?

Between 1996 and 2003, the most recent data available from the IRS, the total tax liability from ITIN filings came to almost $50 billion.

Yes, large chunk of change. It still does not explain why the government is not enforcing it’s own laws. Sucking tax money out of workers is absolutely NO excuse.

The IRS says it doesn’t share data on who files taxes with the Department of Homeland Security. Still, undocumented workers filing taxes at Latin & American Services were wary of talking about it. In the small office where staffers sit behind glass and the air smells of overly sweet air freshener, there’s almost a visible push-pull of wanting to do the right thing but of being scared of getting busted for it, too.

Isn’t it time for the IRS to be answerable to someone? Like the American people?  Our nation’s safety is the issue. No, I don’t think a family from Guadalajara is a threat. I think it’s the ones who believe that by destroying our way of life are the threat. The ones who knock down buildings and think Sha’ria should rule the land? Ring any bells?

Identification

Doyle attacks driver ID rules

Federal rules issued Thursday to give states more time to adopt stricter requirements for issuing driver’s licenses will still mean longer lines and higher fees, Gov. Jim Doyle said.

Doyle said rules issued by the Department of Homeland Security, billed as giving states more flexibility, could actually make the law designed to foil terrorists more difficult to adopt.

“Unless Congress acts to provide more flexibility and resources, get ready for higher fees, longer lines, fewer DMV centers, and a major headache when you go to renew your license,” he said in a statement.

Perhaps I really am as dumb as a box of rocks, but I don’t see the problem. What exactly does the governor have a problem with? The idea that you have to be a legal citizen to gain a legitimate form of identification?

The idea that costs would go up, and lines would be longer would only apply if people who are not entitled to Wisconsin drivers license, or I.D. cards were to be granted such. If all citizens had to show a legal form of I.D. to gain access to public services, the the cost of many of those services paid for by the taxpayer, would be reduced, obviously saving money. That money saved would then be applied to other services, like new computers, etc.

Doyle said the delay could actually make the situation worse because the date by which all residents must have the new driver’s licenses remains unchanged at May 10, 2013.

The residents of Wisconsin have six years to get a new drivers license. Is he trying to say that 5.5 million (+/-) people can’t manage to get a new license in six years? He doesn’t think much of us (y’all) does he.

In his two-year budget proposal, the governor is asking for a $10 increase in the drivers’ license renewal fee – from $24 to $34 – to pay for some of the requirements.

The need to increase “fees” would be unnecessary if there was a little better planning on the part of the state government. It’s been more than 5 years since 9/11, yet it appears Wisconsin has made no provisions for keeping it’s citizens safe by way of eliminating the numerous illegals invading the state.

The federal government is warning that those who do not get the new identification cards may eventually be not allowed to fly commercially or enter federal buildings.

Just what is involved with these cards? Do they have excessive personal information? Are they a tracking device? Just what are they?

Smoke and Tax

In letter to the editor yesterday, the writer hits on keeping kids from smoking:

Stop the young from smoking

I lost a mother, brother and aunt to pancreatic cancer — all of whom were heavy smokers.

I lost my father to pancreatic cancer, and he never smoked! Where’s the connection?

To me, this is about children, children who are told, “Don’t smoke, it’s bad for you,” yet they watch adults become addicted and struggle with what to say or do to turn the tide on this dreadful addiction.

My parents told me not to smoke, neither one of them smoked. Only one of my relatives smoked. I didn’t watch them get addicted. I smoke. Again, where’s the connection?

Recently, during a tobacco prevention presentation, children were sharing their concerns for their loved ones’ smoking and how afraid they were of losing them. At the end of the presentation, I handed out some B-Free gum. Several of the children put the gum in their pockets and asked for more. When I asked why they wanted more, they responded, “They wanted to give it to their mom, dad or grandparents to help them quit smoking.”

Perhaps if grown ups stopped trying to brain wash our kids, they wouldn’t become anti smoking nazis!  No, kids shouldn’t start smoking, but it’s not their job to tell their parents what they can, or cannot do.

Fact: I know full well I should never have started smoking. I know it’s not a good thing to do. If I had all the money I spent on cigarettes in my pocket right now, I’d be darn close to filthy rich.

Fact: I’m going to die. Whether it’s from lung cancer, or a car accident, or a terrorist attack, one of these days, I’m going to be worm food. Contrary to what many would like to believe, people just don’t live forever. We aren’t suppose to, so why not enjoy life while we’ve got it to enjoy? I happen to enjoy my smokes. When I don’t, I won’t smoke.

I see the fear and concern in the children’s eyes. I also know that children don’t want to start smoking, but 90 percent of current adult smokers started at a very young age. The proposed $1.25 cigarette tax increase per pack will help people escape the ball and chain of addiction and prevent 84,000 kids from ever picking up a cigarette.

Where did she come up with the idea of specifically 84,000 kids won’t smoke because of a ridiculous tax? If a kid is going to smoke, it doesn’t matter what the cost is, they’ll find a way. Stealing from parents, from stores, earnings from baby sitting or their afternoon job, they’ll find a way.

If Wisconsin is serious about tobacco prevention and is dedicated to creating a generation of tobacco-free kids, a $1.25 tax is not too much to ask. State legislators have the chance to help create a generation that can reject smoking and save lives, and to me, that’s priceless.

Yes, a $1.25 tax is way too much to ask. If you want to generate tax money, you don’t raise the tax so high people can’t pay it, and go elsewhere for their smokes. “Cutting off your nose to spite your face” is not a good way to create funds to put more funds in the public coffers.

I’m sure this woman is quite sincere.  Shilling for Gov. Dopey’s excessive tax plans doesn’t do her cause a bit of good.

“Sick” Tax

When I read this article in the MJS, I wanted to comment, but I just couldn’t motivate myself.  Since Owen said what I would have liked to have said, but so much better, I’ll let him say it! 🙂

Give, Give, and Then, Give More!

IRS: Donors must prove cash in collection plate

Next time you drop a twenty into the collection plate at your house of worship, you might want to get a receipt.

New Internal Revenue Service rules in effect since Jan. 1 require written proof in order to get a tax break on any cash donation — including tithes, offerings or the odd bills and coins tossed into donation boxes at churches, synagogues and mosques.

Who’s bright idea was this?

“When we put that money into the offering plate, it’s ridiculous to think we need to ask for a receipt,” said Moffatt, who is so steamed about the new rules that he wrote a letter to U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee last week asking for a change.

I can just see it now. We’re going to have to have someone following the plate along writing out receipts for the quarter kids drop in. Sheesh!

The sight of cash and loose change heaped on collection plates Sunday mornings is becoming a thing of the past, said the Rev. Larry Peters, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Clarksville. Instead, Peters said, most of the 300 families who attend his church on Sundays give checks — a receipt acceptable to the IRS for under-$250 donations.

And so everyone knows who gave what. That bothers me. Giving is a private thing, it doesn’t need to be announced that so and so gave more than whatsisface, even though so and so can afford to give more.

His church will soon offer a way to make donations that provide another IRS-approved paper trail: automatic debit transactions.

Have you debit card ready! An ATM, coming soon to a church near you!

Can we please get rid of the IRS and use a system that makes a whole lot more sense? PLEASE?

How To Empty Out a State

What is the best way to ensure a mass exodus from a particular state? Why, you make it so expensive, no one can afford to live there, of course!

It’s no coincidence that big referendums and new taxes are now on the table

Since the Democratic landslide in the November election:

* The Elmbrook School District is proposing the largest single school tax referendum in Wisconsin’s history. Franklin, trying not to be outdone, is proposing the second largest. Both will be on the April ballot.

* Governor Doyle is proposing a 162 percent increase in the state cigarette tax (no, I’m not missing a decimal point).

* A $13 a car per day tax on all rental cars in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine counties is being proposed to pay for the Kenosha-to-Milwaukee commuter train.

* Doyle’s Department of Transportation is proposing a 45 percent increase in vehicle registration fees and a 41 percent increase in driver’s license fees.

* The governor says he will push to eliminate the state law that limits increases in teacher compensation to a figure linked to the cost of living, a move that will cause property taxes to soar.

* Doyle and some Republicans are prepared to introduce a state health care plan that will include a 12 percent tax on the salaries of every working person in the state, to be paid by their employers.

I’ve no doubt there will be more coming. RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY! Escape if you can!

The worst part of this is that it’s going to get even worse. Doyle hasn’t even proposed his state budget yet. In it, he is likely to cut state aid to schools and local government and justify it by eliminating existing caps on their property taxing authority. He, and the Democrats who now control the state Senate, have little to fear from voters who loudly declared only three months ago that they don’t think high taxes in Wisconsin are a problem.

I’m not a big fan of Mark Belling‘s show. I find him extremely one sided, and rarely lets a caller speak to the point of rudeness, but he is right on many things.

Bend Over

Wiley blasts Doyle’s plan to raise property taxes
New property tax proposal will loosen property tax cap

MADISON – Just weeks after announcing a $1.25 sales tax increase, Governor Doyle revealed yet another plan to reach into taxpayers’ pocketbooks – by increasing property taxes. While speaking to the media Tuesday, Doyle said his new property tax cap proposal will be looser than previous years because those who tax “need a little more room than they’ve had the past couple years.”

“First it was the cigarette tax and now Doyle wants help filling his $1.6 billion budget hole by sticking it to property tax payers,” said Rick Wiley, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “Wisconsin is already one of the highest taxed states in the nation, but instead of keeping his campaign promise to hold the line on taxes, Doyle is joining forces with Senate Democrats to increase every tax imaginable.”

While Doyle has continually taken credit for freezing property taxes, taxes have risen consistently under Doyle’s watch. A year after his property tax freeze fraud, Wisconsin’s property taxes went up 2.3 percent and are expected to go up another 3.3 percent the second year.

Still think he deserved to be re-elected?

Thanks Ginny!

In Need of a Reality Check

Liberals Don’t Ask “What Happens Next?”

In general, the Left does not ask the question, “What will happen next?” when formulating social policy. Not thinking through the long-range consequences of their positions is liberalism’s tragic flaw.

This has been the most obvious flaw of the left for a long time. All actions have consequences, good, and bad. I’ve learned through my lifetime that the “feel good” left have done nothing to improve the lives of anyone.

Will higher taxes help the economy?

Plain ol’ common sense should answer that question, but I’m afraid common sense is NOT one of the characteristics of the left. You get to keep more of the money you work your hinder off to earn, you get to spend more, which creates
the need for more goods and services, which creates more jobs. DUH!

Is continued illegal immigration good for America or for Mexico?

Note the keyword here….ILLEGAL! Legal immigration is a good thing, to a degree (there’s only so much to go around). We are paying for the health care, the education, and the incarceration of people who are not contributing tax money to pay for such services.

Is bilingual education good for immigrant children?

The simple answer is NO!

Does affirmative action help black students?

Telling a person they aren’t good enough to succeed without the gubmint’s help is a slap in the face. The time is passing for affirmative action.

What would the Kyoto Protocols do to the American and world economies?

Let’s face it, we have a pollution problem, but no where near as bad as those who are exempt from the Protocols. Sadly, the intertwining of the world economy would be severely damaged if the left gets their way. Besides, man made global warming is a crock! 🙂

Would withdrawal from Iraq increase or decrease human suffering?

Just ask the Vietnamese and Cambodians what happened when the left got their way. We would have won that war if the left hadn’t been so bloomin’ selfish. Yes, people died…including friends of mine… but odds are, fewer would have lost their lives if the war had been run from the ground, instead of in the press and DC.

Does nationalized health insurance work?

The British and Canadians I’ve spoken to are envious of OUR health care system. What does that tell ya!

In the view of many liberals, “What happens next?” is a pragmatic, but not idealistic, question by which to guide social policy. In fact, however, no question is as idealistic as “What happens next?” Asking it means that social policy is made by noble and compassionate minds, not hearts alone. In the rest of life, thinking through the consequences of actions is called “responsible” and “mature.” Those remain worthy goals in public life as well.

Time is short! What happens next is up to us. Do we allow the left to turn our country into a “workers paradise”, or do we encourage our own to work hard, make a good life for themselves, and stop depending on the government for every aspect of life.