Another idiotic "It Takes a Village" idea from the left coast, where Socialism is alive and well.
Posted on 06/01/2002 4:05:20 PM PDT by ppaul
It's a tax that could hit Seattleites where it really hurts: their coffee mugs.
A group of child-care advocates, seeking more money for early education, filed an initiative Friday that would place a 10-cent city tax on Seattle's lifeblood -- espresso drinks.
But in Seattle, where voters have already voted to tax their tobacco, their meals and their hotel rooms, among other things, initial word of the proposal caused barely a jolt among the area's latte lovers.
"Coffee, in a way, it's kind of a luxury item," said Patty Grazini, who frequents the Diva Espresso Bar in Seattle's Greenwood district. "As long as the money went to the programs it was supposed to, I would support it."
The Early Learning and Care Committee, which is made up of parents, teachers and child-care directors, expects the tax would raise $7 million to $10 million a year in this coffee-addicted city.
The money would be used to increase wages for child-care teachers, assist low- and middle-income families in obtaining quality child care and increase the amount of high-quality care in Seattle, said Lisa Moy, campaign manager.
The committee has until early August to collect the necessary 17,228 valid signatures needed to get the initiative on November's ballot.
But Diva Espresso barista Melissa Petersen wasn't so sure the initiative was such a good idea.
Another 10 cents is a lot to ask for a drink that's already pretty expensive and can cost $3 to $4, she said.
"They've got a smoking tax, regular taxes, why not a yuppie tax," Petersen said sarcastically.
Grazini, 50, averages about two cappuccinos a day and has no problem flipping the bistro an extra dime or two. The tax would bring the cost of her daily caffeine dosage to about $4.20, or an additional $73 a year. A person that has one drink each workday would pay an extra $26.
Moy said taxing espresso drinks is a guaranteed source of income in Seattle, where many residents can't get through the day without a caffeine hit.
Drip coffee would not be taxed and espresso seemed the most obvious choice that would not burden any particular economic group, Moy said.
"We know that the city of Seattle voters are dedicated to their children," Moy said. "This is one way they can enable children more access to quality pre-kindergarten care."
Since the tax would apply to businesses that gross more than $50,000 annually, Moy said Starbucks and Tully's Coffee -- Seattle's main coffee contenders -- were told of the group's plan.
In a prepared statement, Starbucks said the company did not understand why the group "would recommend an additional consumer tax on espresso beverages, or any other single consumer product, to fund this initiative."
Company spokeswoman Audrey Lincoff would not comment further.
The increase would do little to effect business at Diva Espresso's four locations in Seattle, said manager Stephen Johnson.
"Regular customers would initially notice, but they would adapt to it very readily," Johnson said. "I think coffee's a pretty strong drug.
Read the article and FReep the poll HERE.
Another idiotic "It Takes a Village" idea from the left coast, where Socialism is alive and well.
Those imbeciles actually believe this stuff. It's truly amazing. These are grown men and women. Well-educated, most of them.
No wonder the bureaucracy keeps growing and there's no end in site to how much of our hard-earned income the government takes away.
Economic Opportunity Institute
"One of the fundamental tenets guiding EOI's work is the belief that all children should have access to quality care and learning from birth to five years of age. Studies show the importance of these early years on a child's emotional, social and cognitive development. We now know the relationship between the quality of children's early experiences and their subsequent social and academic success. EOI is therefore expanding its work on early learning and care to include a focus on universally available preschool for all four-year-olds in Washington State and universally available full-day kindergarten for all five-year-olds in the state."
Note: The survey commissioned by the sponsoring organization (Economic Opportunity Institute) was conducted by the polling firm owned by its Treasurer. It takes a village to steal a child...
We're supposed to vote "yes", right? Seems only fair since the latte-sippers are always so hot to tax bullets!
There are other states to choose from. :-)
Another 10 cents is a lot to ask for a drink that's already pretty expensive and can cost $3 to $4, she said..."
Don't worry Melissa...
Anyone demented enough to pony up $4 for a cup of coffee that looks like monkey sputum won't choke on another lousy dime.
But in Seattle, where voters have already voted to tax their tobacco, their meals and their hotel rooms, among other things, initial word of the proposal caused barely a jolt among the area's latte lovers.
High school bullies wish their thievery was so easy with complacent victims
"As long as the money went to the programs it was supposed to, I would support it."Useful idiot.
The "programs" are as bad as the tax. Socialism, plain and simple.
I don't want any of my hard earned wages going to these "programs".
It's totally voluntary whether anyone goes in to hire someone to make them a latte. No one is forcing them to part with their dime. And since the proposed tax has to be approved by the people of Seattle in the initiate process, presumably at least 50% have to agree to it first, which has to account for some measure of justice. Perhaps the argument can be made that only if two-thirds approve would the proposal become law rather than a simple majority; who would want a tyranny of 10,000,000 tyrants? But to characterize it as a theft of one's wages is disingenuous, no? I for one do not subscribe to the often advanced view that any taxation is theft or any local program or initiative is socialist or any expression of the majoritarian will is tyrannical. We're a democratic republic, and it is well within the Constitution of Washington and well within the constitutional city charter of Seattle to allow the initiative process. People are able to vote on the initiative, and even vote with their feet and wallet if they don't like the outcome. That's the nature of freedom. Now consider whether it is rather socialistic to deny people their right to raise taxes if they want to for any program they desire.
You do live in Seattle, don't you? Then just vote "No" if you don't like the idea. Otherwise, you really have no voice on the local issue.
Not really. While the government is the proposed vehicle for the collecting of the proposed $10 million dollars a year for day care, the funding is totally voluntary based upon the free will purchase of overpriced lattes in trendy coffee shops where the tips jars themselves receive much more than 10 cents per sale. Furthermore, the recipient of the taxes does not necessarily have to be a gray bureaucratic agency where as someone conjectured only 25% of the funds would go to helping children. The recipient could be a private agency with an excellent track record and a high service to overhead ratio. These are local issues which the good people of Seattle I trust can figure out for themselves.
Huh?
I would agree, except there's fewer and fewer places to run to where they haven't tried to take an ever-increasing amount of our pay. I wouldn't object to any of this if the vote on such a tax were limited to the people who were actually paying it. But that isn't the case; the vast majority of Seattlians (or whatever they call themselves) are probably not "designer coffee" drinkers so they probably don't mind taxing someone else.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not necessarily against all government programs. A few actually work. But the problem here is that those voting aren't the ones paying. Its that simple.
It would be as if all the people in your community decided to add an income tax, but only to those whose name included the word "Jihad". Sure, you can vote against it, but you're the only "Jihad, C." in the phone book. Minorities enslaved by majorities = pure Democracy.
Now which is it?
I assumed that they were talking about boosting the amount of subsidy given to welfare moms to pay for childcare (1.25/hr). It is very difficult to increase wages of self-employed individuals. The classes necessary to become licensed are already dirt cheap. It is not the cost of the classes that prohibits daycare workers from entering the field. It is the fact that anyone smart enough to get a junior college degree is not dumb enough to want to run a daycare.
TA's Wife
We ought to use their own tactics against their own industries. Hollywood glorifies violence so therefore we need to tax movies to fund emergency rooms. Television reruns encourage sloth so therefore any program with Meathead in it needs to have a tax to fund neighborhood playgrounds. Marxist professors encourage rebellion which results in death, so therefore we need to tax their salaries to fund the widows and orphans of communist aggression.
If you think the goverment is going to give any of this so called free tax money to small church preschools then you do not live in the real world.
TA"s Wife
TA's Wife
Well, I want less government in my life too. I think taxes are way too high, and I think this tax is foolish. I also think the socialists in Seattle will probably vote for it, the same way they gave us those two pinheads Murray and Cantwell. But I wasn't referring to the tax. I was referring to the busy body, know it all comments about what people pay for coffee. For instance, I find it much more cost effective to make my own bullets and arrows instead of paying retail for them. I am also shocked at what some people pay for makeup, or cars or sports tickets, or clothing, or haircuts. But, the difference is, I'm not so snotty and presumptuous as to call them "dumb" for how they choose to spend their money.
We live Comrade!! We Live!!! Stinkin' Capitalist pigs we'll tax your coffee than your tea...Heh, Heh, Heh
Undoubtedly. It is, increasingly, the way of things. I wish I could remember where I saw the statistics regarding the percentage of voters who pay taxes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
