This is why I hate all politicians

[werepossum]

Or we can strip out military to the point of breaking to pay for the roads. After all, that worked out well for Europe. And if a new tyrant comes up who wants to take over the world, we can rely on the United States to come save us!


oh wait...

lol +1 Greece, time to step up and be the world's policeman.

 

[boomerang]

The total cost of the vote on this came to $10 million. Had it passed, it would have triggered a slew of tax and spend bills (10 of them) that did not require a vote. The state portion of the gasoline tax of 19 cents per gallon would have been eliminated to be replaced by a tax that by law could never drop below 41.7 cents per gallon and that would increase with inflation. It would have also been applied to propane and natural gas. Higher sales tax, higher gas tax, higher natural gas tax, higher propane tax, tax, tax, tax, tax. This should never have even come to a vote. But thank goodness our constitution is such that it did, otherwise it would have all been jammed down our throats by a lazy legislature.

I've got one foot out of the door here and am looking forward to cutting ties with Michigan. It really has nothing to offer me anymore. The grass truly is greener elsewhere and it's very easy to quantify.

 

[rudeguy]

The total cost of the vote on this came to $10 million. Had it passed, it would have triggered a slew of tax and spend bills (10 of them) that did not require a vote. The state portion of the gasoline tax of 19 cents per gallon would have been eliminated to be replaced by a tax that by law could never drop below 41.7 cents per gallon and that would increase with inflation. It would have also been applied to propane and natural gas. Higher sales tax, higher gas tax, higher natural gas tax, higher propane tax, tax, tax, tax, tax. This should never have even come to a vote. But thank goodness our constitution is such that it did, otherwise it would have all been jammed down our throats by a lazy legislature.

I've got one foot out of the door here and am looking forward to cutting ties with Michigan. It really has nothing to offer me anymore. The grass truly is greener elsewhere and it's very easy to quantify.

It should have been settled last year. Instead the law makers came up with this piece of shit and hoped that only supporters would show up at the polls.

I'm with you though. As soon as I'm able, I'm gone. I don't want to be the one to have to turn the lights off.

 

[Slew Foot]

Its like that everywhere, thats why you can never show a surplus because every mouth breather in the state will come running with their hand out. I cant tell you where the money went, but Ill bet that some relative/friend of a politican is living a while lot better than they were last year.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I can't figure out why we all are not smart enough to let surpluses ride for a bit and save the surplus for when its needed.

 

[rudeguy]

I can't figure out why we all are not smart enough to let surpluses ride for a bit and save the surplus for when its needed.

That is exactly what us right wing nut jobs were saying. Then all of the sudden we were made out to be heartless bastards who didn't care about the children. One of the first groups to come calling with their hands out were the schools, then the road people, then the welfare people, then I'm pretty sure even George Zimmerman came around looking for a loan.

Its honestly sick to watch in action. Instead of trying to set our kids up for a better future, we feel like we need to spend every penny we can plus 3 more.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

That is exactly what us right wing nut jobs were saying. Then all of the sudden we were made out to be heartless bastards who didn't care about the children. One of the first groups to come calling with their hands out were the schools, then the road people, then the welfare people, then I'm pretty sure even George Zimmerman came around looking for a loan.

Its honestly sick to watch in action. Instead of trying to set our kids up for a better future, we feel like we need to spend every penny we can plus 3 more.

Don't forget about the nifty surplus GWB was handed that promptly was spent. Both parties do it just for different reasons.

 

[IronWing]

That is exactly what us right wing nut jobs were saying. Then all of the sudden we were made out to be heartless bastards who didn't care about the children. One of the first groups to come calling with their hands out were the schools, then the road people, then the welfare people, then I'm pretty sure even George Zimmerman came around looking for a loan.

Its honestly sick to watch in action. Instead of trying to set our kids up for a better future, we feel like we need to spend every penny we can plus 3 more.

I don't often use the but this post gets two...



The first time in a generation the the budget almost, but not quite, got balanced, conservatives went on an over the top tax cutting and spending binge that shot a red ink rooster tail well into the next decade. Conservatives have no credibility on budget issues, none.

 

[rudeguy]

Don't forget about the nifty surplus GWB was handed that promptly was spent. Both parties do it just for different reasons.

I'm not disagreeing with you at all.

However I can't ever remember anything like this at the state level. It was like nothing you could ever imagine:

Michigan gets hit with record unemployment, companies leave, people leave, cities literally give away houses, corruption in Detroit, it was damn near Robocop time (the first one, not the shit sequel)

Michigan bounces back. The majority of the state finds new businesses to attract and gets revenue going again. We even managed to rescue Detroit's pension plan because it was the right thing to do.

We finally have a surplus! We made it out of the hole! The state is going to make it!!!!

(1 month later)

We are broke! The roads are falling apart! Our children will die if we don't fix the roads (yes that was one of the commericals). We need more money! And it has to be a permanent tax increase! Think of the children!!!

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I'm not disagreeing with you at all.

However I can't ever remember anything like this at the state level. It was like nothing you could ever imagine:

Michigan gets hit with record unemployment, companies leave, people leave, cities literally give away houses, corruption in Detroit, it was damn near Robocop time (the first one, not the shit sequel)

Michigan bounces back. The majority of the state finds new businesses to attract and gets revenue going again. We even managed to rescue Detroit's pension plan because it was the right thing to do.

We finally have a surplus! We made it out of the hole! The state is going to make it!!!!

(1 month later)

We are broke! The roads are falling apart! Our children will die if we don't fix the roads (yes that was one of the commericals). We need more money! And it has to be a permanent tax increase! Think of the children!!!

Ugh I'd hate that too.

 

[Victorian Gray]

lol +1


I'm quite sure that once Americans too are taxed to the point that most people can't afford to drive, our highways will also be fabulous.

And yet it appears that many countries (including most of Western Europe) have a higher per capita ownership of autos.

"The U.S. is ranked 25th in world by number of passenger cars per person, just above Ireland and just below Bahrain. There are 439 cars here for every thousand Americans, meaning a little more than two people for every car. That number is higher in nearly all of Western Europe -- the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, etc. -- as well as in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It's higher in crisis-wracked Iceland and Greece. Italians and New Zealanders have nearly 50 percent more cars per capita than does the U.S. The highest rate in the world is casino-riddled Mediterranean city-state Monaco, with 771 cars per thousand citizens."

http://www.theatlantic.com/internat...e-more-cars-per-person-than-americans/261108/

I suspect that it's a question of priorities. "Should we invade Iraq or should we invest in infrastructure like highways".

 

[Victorian Gray]

lol +1 Greece, time to step up and be the world's policeman.

Yeah because Iraq turned out so well for the world. Go Team USA!

 

[Orignal Earl]

Yeah because Iraq turned out so well for the world. Go Team USA!

I think they mean police as in American police- corrupt, shoot everything in sight, no knock warrants, etc

 

[rudeguy]

And yet it appears that many countries (including most of Western Europe) have a higher per capita ownership of autos.

"The U.S. is ranked 25th in world by number of passenger cars per person, just above Ireland and just below Bahrain. There are 439 cars here for every thousand Americans, meaning a little more than two people for every car. That number is higher in nearly all of Western Europe -- the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, etc. -- as well as in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It's higher in crisis-wracked Iceland and Greece. Italians and New Zealanders have nearly 50 percent more cars per capita than does the U.S. The highest rate in the world is casino-riddled Mediterranean city-state Monaco, with 771 cars per thousand citizens."

http://www.theatlantic.com/internat...e-more-cars-per-person-than-americans/261108/

I suspect that it's a question of priorities. "Should we invade Iraq or should we invest in infrastructure like highways".

The problem is we invest money in infrastructure and it gets pissed away. Remember one of the Obama stimulus plans gave money for infrastructure? My city got a $40M section of highway redone. It didn't need redone but we spent the money. We literally got a new traffic lane that lasts for a mile and disappears. We also got steel rope things along the highways that tear off front ends and serve no other purpose. Well they also make it so cops can't turn around but that's not the point. The point is that these politicians think burning through money will fix everything but all they do is waste it.

 

[nickqt]

Or we can strip out military to the point of breaking to pay for the roads. After all, that worked out well for Europe. And if a new tyrant comes up who wants to take over the world, we can rely on the United States to come save us!


oh wait...

Yes, stripping the US military to the breaking point by cutting some of the $700+B a year spent on it.

And lord knows thousands of ICBMs, satellites and the largest navy in the world x1000 isn't enough to protect us from Irans navy!

See, if we can all just agree to be more terrified of boogiemen and worry less about living in a first world country, then freedom!

 

[cabri]

Yes, stripping the US military to the breaking point by cutting some of the $700+B a year spent on it.

And lord knows thousands of ICBMs, satellites and the largest navy in the world x1000 isn't enough to protect us from Irans navy!

See, if we can all just agree to be more terrified of boogiemen and worry less about living in a first world country, then freedom!

Seems like you have the same attitude as we had 100 and 70 years ago

 

[OutHouse]

Sigh, So many of you just don't get it. It's not your money, not your property, and not your children. All belong to the state, and the greater good.

there are a couple i here who acutally believe that. I once made a thread about how high a income tax should be and quite a few said as high as it needs to be....

well shit why get paid at all, im sure uncle stalin will take care of all your needs.

 

[sportage]

And what is it with "republican" governors hitting the people with tax hikes? I thought republicans were against taxing more and more. Seems that was the old days, or I guess we missed that memo. The memo from republican governors where it is just fine to sock it to the middle class with tax hikes, just as long as the red states continue to give tax breaks to that top 1%. You know... all their relatives and buddies. Here, we had a surplus as well, THEN the republican was re-elected (idiot voters) and right away comes a gas tax hike because gas prices were supposedly too low. And here we are, two months later and gas has risen not ten cents as the governor wanted, but risen forty cents in total from two months ago. Just wait until gas is back up there at $4.50 a gallon, and 50 cents of that being state gas tax. Think about that as you dodge the pot holes. The roads our glorious republican governor raised the gas tax to fix. But as usual with republicans, that new money is re0directed to offset more tax breaks for his business buddies.
And what is even more of a scream, statics prove after the young college grads leave college, they move out of state never to return. Yet the state boasts of increasing citizenship. All of which are illegals migrating into the state. They work. They are counted as residents. They just don't pay taxes. Why? Because they are paid under the table by their employer. Not too bad of a deal, if you can get it. Lets give a rounding hip hip hooray for republican governors. And after that, vote this red ass out of office.

It's not necessarily "ALL" politicians. Just the republicans. And it damn well does matter how you vote.

 

[child of wonder]

Gee, maybe the surplus could go towards paying back the state's debt? Minnesota has this "problem" too and part of the Republican party here wants to buy votes by giving the entire surplus back.

No, we have billions in state debt, starting paying it back! Use half to improve roads, fund schools, and the other half goes straight to the state debt.

 

[boomerang]

there are a couple i here who acutally believe that. I once made a thread about how high a income tax should be and quite a few said as high as it needs to be....

well shit why get paid at all, im sure uncle stalin will take care of all your needs.

The folowing dovetails nicely.

Mom: The Millennial in your basement is a member of the Socialist Army

 

[sm625]

A few years ago they replaced a couple bridges over the interstate. The projects costed $20 million each. The bridges are 2/3 the size of a football field each. Talk about overkill.

 

[rudder]

Michigan's roads are exceptionally awful. Every time I drive there it's just painful. Literally.

Edit: I dunno. At a certain point I think we just have to accept that taxes happen. If you look around and see that everything that is state owned or operated is a giant pile of shit, it is probably because your taxes are too low.

Not necessarily a republican/democrat thing as we have had a variety of power holders here in the state of Tennessee over the last two decades. We enjoy some of the lowest taxes in the country yet our roads are some of the best in the nation. Nothing here is crumbling. I believe it has to do with the state's balanced budget law and willingness to cut the fat out when revenues fall below estimates.

High tax rates are not the be all end all of running a government.

 

[rudeguy]

Not necessarily a republican/democrat thing as we have had a variety of power holders here in the state of Tennessee over the last two decades. We enjoy some of the lowest taxes in the country yet our roads are some of the best in the nation. Nothing here is crumbling. I believe it has to do with the state's balanced budget law and willingness to cut the fat out when revenues fall below estimates.

High tax rates are not the be all end all of running a government.

Or it could have to do with not having snow, ice and salt on your roads 6 months out of the year.

 

[Bowfinger]

[ ... ] We also got steel rope things along the highways that tear off front ends and serve no other purpose. ...

Departing from the subject for a moment, but that is absolutely incorrect. Those cable barriers make divided highways substantially safer by preventing out of control vehicles from crossing the median and running head-on into oncoming traffic. There are some dramatic statistics showing how they've reduced injuries and fatalities. They are a relatively cheap and effective way to make highways safer.

 

[rudder]

Or it could have to do with not having snow, ice and salt on your roads 6 months out of the year.

Explain Arkansas then. Generally the same latitude.... but their roads are shit.