Posted on 05/17/2010 7:21:57 AM PDT by yoe
Arizona is ground zero for the immigration debate, but tomorrow the state's voters will also send a signal on taxes.
[snip] Ms. Brewer has rallied the usual suspects behind her, including the teachers and other public employee unions, hospitals, government contractors, and even the local chambers of commerce. Any group that receives its financial sustenance from government is all in, and they've ponied up close to $2 million to scare the public into believing that a no vote means doomsday for schools, public safety and health, and, well, you've heard it all before. Opponents have spent very little.
The pro-tax deluge highlights why so many states and cities are bankrupt. The interests in state capitals that live off tax revenue have gained inordinate political power over the diffuse interests of taxpayers. The average Arizona family will pay $400 a year more if the sales tax increase prevails, which is a lot when you consider that President Obama's "making work pay" tax credit is limited to $400 for individuals.
Taxpayer groups rightly object that the tax hike comes with no spending restraints. Arizona got into this crisis because during the boom years—2003 to 2007—then-Governor Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, and Republicans in the legislature let spending climb by more than 100% to $10 billion from $6.6 billion.
The Goldwater Institute, a local think tank, notes that the state school system employs one non-teacher for every teacher who works in a classroom. The current moment would seem ideal to rethink how government works, cut the bureaucracy and adjust public pensions, rather than laying off teachers. But the unions won't hear it.
(my emphasis)
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
This is a special interest driven tax....i.e., UNIONS. Read again the Goldwater Institute to see how UNIONS are strangling Arizona citizens.....the Arizona state school system employs one none teacher for every teacher...
There’s lots of expensive Pro 101 signage and mass mailings and almost no (or homemade) anti. So what special interests are sponsoring this POS?
I have to live on a fixed income which means I have to practice austerities and cinch up my belt ‘til it hurts. It’s only fair to ask the fat, bloated government to do the same. I’m voting a big NO.
What I hate is that this bill is pitting citizen against citizen. I have two sisters who are school teachers and one has been begging me to save her job by voting for this bill.
We are self-employed with an income about 50% less than it was in ‘08. WE HAVE NO BAILOUT coming to us. No special tax that is going to improve our business. This bill is asking Arizona citizens, MANY of whom cannot meet each month’s expenses, to pay even more so that other citizens can keep their jobs. This isn’t about kids. It’s about paying even MORE money toward public school than we already do. We homeschool, so we’re going to be paying more for a service we don’t even use.
Plus, I’ve read that 1/3 of this money isn’t going to schools anyway. The politicians have found ways to funnel the money elsewhere. No surprise there.
They want you to subscribe yoe. But thanks for the pointer anyway.
You couldn’t keep me from the polls tomorrow morning. I’ll be getting up at 5 to make sure I have more than enough time to vote before I leave for work.
NO on Arizona Prop. 100!!
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