Post by: Svevan on June 03, 2007, 08:15:04 PM
Anyone who lives in Oregon, please listen to me. Make efforts to promote a sales tax around here. We need one. Badly. We also need a reduction in income tax to go with it. Under the current system, if unemployment in Oregon goes up, we lose most of our funding - this is what happened when our economy got shot in the hip in 2003-04, and schools were threatened to be closed (just a few days were shaved off in the end, and when the taxpayers voted down extra taxes for the freaking public schools we already pay for, our legislators magically found some money lying around that provided our schools the funding they needed).
Right now, illegal immigrants, the homeless, and the unemployed do not pay taxes in Oregon, but they do provide food (somehow) to themselves and sometimes to their large families. The money's coming from somewhere, either illegal jobs or panhandling (or welfare, which can't be taxed). These people need to start paying taxes. Those who make money need to be taxed only if they use it - saving money shouldn't be a taxable offense. So let's reduce income taxes (a lot) and promote the damn sales tax that every other state already has. Do not vote Yes for a sales tax unless the income taxes are going down at the same time.
In the meantime, I'm eating raw cookie dough and gaining weight by the minute.
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on June 03, 2007, 08:30:37 PM
p.s. Don't hate me specifically, continue to hate Californians in general, as the state myth has told us you already do.
Post by: King of Twitch on June 03, 2007, 08:59:04 PM
Post by: Svevan on June 03, 2007, 09:09:59 PM
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on June 03, 2007, 09:16:28 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Svevan
In Southern Oregon, most of our libraries have closed. We didn't have the funding for them, so they are gone. I'd love to get into the nitty gritty of it, but Oregon is a messed up place for government spending anyway, and we need some restructuring all told. I'm tired of our local government holding a gun to our head with new taxes so we can keep the things we were supposedly already paying for.
Anyone who lives in Oregon, please listen to me. Make efforts to promote a sales tax around here. We need one. Badly. We also need a reduction in income tax to go with it. Under the current system, if unemployment in Oregon goes up, we lose most of our funding - this is what happened when our economy got shot in the hip in 2003-04, and schools were threatened to be closed (just a few days were shaved off in the end, and when the taxpayers voted down extra taxes for the freaking public schools we already pay for, our legislators magically found some money lying around that provided our schools the funding they needed).
Right now, illegal immigrants, the homeless, and the unemployed do not pay taxes in Oregon, but they do provide food (somehow) to themselves and sometimes to their large families. The money's coming from somewhere, either illegal jobs or panhandling (or welfare, which can't be taxed). These people need to start paying taxes. Those who make money need to be taxed only if they use it - saving money shouldn't be a taxable offense. So let's reduce income taxes (a lot) and promote the damn sales tax that every other state already has. Do not vote Yes for a sales tax unless the income taxes are going down at the same time.
In the meantime, I'm eating raw cookie dough and gaining weight by the minute.
Well in Washington they have figured out other ways to gut the tax payer, but I do think a sales tax is the best solution. Personally I would rather abolish the IRS and go with a federal sales tax system to eliminate all the corruption and confusion that goes on with the current system.
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on June 03, 2007, 09:24:55 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Svevan
They buy stuff. One of our ritzy tourist towns has homeless people who make more money than me (they live in hotels too).
I was gonna link a scene from "Don't be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood", but I couldn't find the clip where the bum jumps in his Mercedes and drives away.
Post by: King of Twitch on June 03, 2007, 09:36:39 PM
Post by: Ceric on June 04, 2007, 04:03:06 AM
Post by: Ian Sane on June 04, 2007, 05:11:15 AM
Though in theory I would prefer sales tax to income tax. I just know in reality once a new tax in introduced it gives the government the option to raise both of them. One government might lower income tax and balance it with a sales tax but then a new government may get elected that may remove that balancing and keep the sales tax because it's already established.
Post by: Ceric on June 04, 2007, 05:14:15 AM
Post by: Svevan on June 04, 2007, 05:31:33 AM
Post by: UncleBob on June 04, 2007, 05:41:59 AM
The faulty part of this post is that it has too much focus on raising taxes and not so much on cutting spending. IMHO, of course.
Post by: UltimatePartyBear on June 04, 2007, 05:56:19 AM
In local (to me) news, we were going to get a new state of the art library built several years ago, but then it turned out that *gasp* some rich land developer was going to get incrementally richer as a result, and *gasp* he knew people on the city council! Can you imagine? A bigshot land developer who knows people on the city council? I bet that never happens in places like OR-uh-gun and Warshington. That, and every old fogey in this town votes against anything that might increase property taxes (which would have paid for the new library) even though their property taxes have been locked ever since they became old fogeys.
Is complaining about local government taboo here, too, even though it's hard for it to be as incisive and inflammatory when none of us live near each other?
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on June 04, 2007, 08:13:48 AM
Post by: ShyGuy on June 04, 2007, 08:54:51 AM
Here in Spokane we have our own problems. Like crime and police.
Post by: Ceric on June 04, 2007, 10:12:12 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: ShyGuy
LOL, Oregon.
Here in Spokane we have our own problems. Like crime and police.
Because the crime can't keep the police in check
Post by: Sir_Stabbalot on June 04, 2007, 10:29:26 AM
Post by: vudu on June 04, 2007, 10:38:41 AM
Post by: UncleBob on June 04, 2007, 10:42:44 AM
Post by: ShyGuy on June 04, 2007, 11:12:19 AM
Quote
Here in Spokane we have our own problems. Like crime and police.
Because the crime can't keep the police in check
Tell me about it! If only the crime could get organized...
Post by: Pale on June 04, 2007, 11:38:32 AM
Post by: UncleBob on June 04, 2007, 11:52:03 AM
Post by: wandering on June 04, 2007, 04:37:08 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
People still go to libraries? That is news to me!
Some people are stuck in the past, and haven't accepted the fact that books are as dead as long single-player video games.
Post by: Ceric on June 05, 2007, 03:20:21 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: ShyGuyQuote
Here in Spokane we have our own problems. Like crime and police.
Because the crime can't keep the police in check
Tell me about it! If only the crime could get organized...
Use the Videogame training that I keep hearing about in the news to organize your syndicate and dominate Spokane.
Post by: Ian Sane on June 05, 2007, 05:04:55 AM
In other words anything that requires effort is going to become unpopular if it isn't already.
Post by: KDR_11k on June 06, 2007, 01:36:51 AM
Post by: Karl Castaneda #2 on June 06, 2007, 07:28:43 AM
Post by: Ceric on June 06, 2007, 08:41:25 AM
Post by: ShyGuy on June 06, 2007, 02:12:24 PM
edit: No state income tax though, suckas!
Post by: that Baby guy on June 06, 2007, 02:24:47 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: ViewtifulGamer
Florida has a 7% sales tax, which isn't that bad compared to other states, based on what I've heard.
Doesn't Florida have a 6% with the option to go to 7%? I could swear Gainesville's is actually a tiny bit over 6%.
Maybe that's another reason why Gainesville is better than Tallahassee...
Post by: Sir_Stabbalot on June 06, 2007, 02:28:40 PM
Post by: UltimatePartyBear on June 07, 2007, 05:16:06 AM
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on June 07, 2007, 08:12:16 AM
Post by: ThePerm on June 11, 2007, 03:44:06 PM
