Our angry friends repeat the talking points that there is no more money in Sacramento; therefore, services for poor, sick and school children must be cut and no one should complain.
Point out to them the fact that the percentage of state and federal taxes are lowest in decades and they don't believe it or they claim it is because economy is in a recession. Yes, there is a recession but it is not just that the AMOUNT of taxes that is down but it's that the PERCENTAGE that is being paid, especially by super wealthy corporations, is down--way, way down.
The greatest amount of the state's budget deficit is not due to the recession. No it's main cause is super wealthy corporation paying a lower percentage on their incomes than they have in decades and decades.
Of course the income to the state and federal governments is down during a recession. No one is denying that. However the real problem is the billions and billion of dollars more that the state would have had if it had collected the same percentage of taxes as in the past especially from the super wealthy CEOs and corporations.
Taxes are truly and actually lower for all of us, but, by far, the biggest reduction has been on super wealthy who no longer pay their fair share to maintain our crucial state infrastructure and institutions. Many pay NO income taxes at all even with multimillion dollar incomes. (see:
The tremendous and actual reduction in the number of state workers per Californian served has been a disaster for our freeway maintenance and a real nuisance for getting needed services done by the state. I am in one such nuisance area right now.
It seems I have to have my direct deposit retirement check changed to a new checking account number because our former checking account was compromised. Should be a fast and easy thing to do, right? It is not. It will take 60 days. Why? because the state has laid off so many workers (and because Mission Federal that caused the problem is not much good at fixing the problems they create).
Mission Federal told me that they would not make the change at their bank without getting authorization from STRS. So then I called STRS and was answered by a very helpful and experienced women STRS state employee who helped me get the STRS form online. She also gave me the FAX number to send the form to the proper office for notifying Mission Federal. This STRS notification allows MF to change my direct deposit from one checking account number at the Vista branch into another checking account number at that same branch.
This same nice state worker apologized to me. She told me that because of back ups in the system this simple process would likely take two months. I think I can correctly interpret 'back ups in the system' as not enough state workers hired to do this simple procedure in a timely manner.
When the filthy rich corporations and their filthy rich CEOs rig the system so they do not pay their fair share of taxes, their are real world consequences for all of us who need state services and use state maintained roads.
Ever drive on Highway 5 north out of LA? Why is it still only two lanes wide thirty plus years after it was built with traffic volume at least ten times what it was in the 70s? Why is the road surface especially in the number two lane so "rugged", pitted and torn up? You know why, no money at the state level. Remember interstate highways built by the federal government are maintained by the state that they are in. We all have to pay more often to replace our car tires and get new front end wheel alignments because the state and local governments can no longer afford to properly maintain our roads. That extra cost for your car is just one of the thousands of “Back Door Taxes” that the middle class and poor must pay because the super wealthy have rigged the system. Our students will pay a very huge ‘Back Door Tax” with larger class sizes K-12 and less access to state colleges and universities due to MASSIVE increases in tuition.
Below is the viewpoint of a pro-American, Pro-American intuitions blogger, EarlRichards, about tax breaks for Chevron. Immediately following "EarlRichards" copied post is my post showing with website references that Americans have the lowest state and federal taxes in years.
You can use the URLs in my answer to Vista Watchdog to see the kind of factual information AM radio Con men and FOXnotNews will never tell you. Actually almost no news organization will say it--too afraid of the mobs that Limbaugh and the other radio conmen will whip up if they dare give correct information that contradicts con man propaganda.
EarlRichards said on: May 23, 2010, 3:05 am
Chevron gouged $24 billions in excessive profits in 2008, as per www.tyrannyofoil.com Schwarzenegger should put an excessive profits tax on these profits, instead of protecting the oil corporations from fair taxation, then, there would be sufficient public funds for all the vulnerable, people programs. Big business lost the fight to eliminate domestic violence funding, so now they are coming back with a vengeance. There is no funding provision for battered women shelters in the May Revise. Schwarzee picks on the most vulnerable, and not on corporate tax "deadbeats."
con no more said on: May 22, 2010, 10:27 am
Poor VWdog does not realize our taxes our state and federal taxes are at record lows. Could he have been fooled by FOX, lied to by Limbaugh, deceived by the hired gun deceptaCONS of AM "news"talk radio?
Here are the facts.
----------------------------
State of California
(1)In 1977 the state government consumed 6.6 percent of the state's economy. That number has fallen, down to 5.6 percent of the California economy this year, according to official California Department of Finance figures.
(2)Spending is striking, too. For each $100 Californians earn, the state spends $7.44. The number has been that low only four other times in the past three decades.
(3)The cost of general fund programs, such as public schools and health and social services, hasn't been at this low level since 1973 ---- $5.19 for each $100 that Californians earn
(4)In the coming year, there will be about 8.9 state employees for every 1,000 people. There were 9.5 state workers for each 1,000 Californians 30 years ago.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/morain/article_bf5d033c-d54a-5807-9840-44dbb07c91ed.html
---------------------------
Obama's Federal Government Taxes
Tax bills in 2009 at lowest level since 1950
By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY May 10, 2010
"Amid complaints about high taxes and calls for a smaller government, Americans paid their lowest level of taxes last year since Harry Truman's presidency, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data found."
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/taxes/2010-05-10-taxes_N.htm
------------------
So tell me again VWdog about how terrible our tax burden is. Well, maybe you and I, as retirees, should not have our taxes raised, but BIG OIL in California certainly should pay enough taxes to cover its costs to the state if not substantially more as it is forced to do in SARAH PALIN's Alaska as required by a bill SIGNED BY SARAH PALIN.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment