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Lone Star,
You've fallen victim to "big government"!! You think you know very little, and that's exactly what they'd like you to believe. The more people that feel that way, the less they have to contend with at City Council meetings. "WE THE PEOPLE" is you and I, and everyone else who reads this. If you want change, you've got to be involved, make your voice heard. Big Government loves it when no one shows up to speak out against a new tax or ridiculous law. You can bet that anyone who will gain from the new tax/law will be there.
You can make a difference, just go speak your mind, they're just people- like you and I.
Government is like a fire; it can provide warmth and comfort, but if not tended, it can be terribly destructive- it can even kill you.
Lone Star,
Government is like a fire; it can provide warmth and comfort, but if not tended, it can be terribly destructive- it can even kill you.
Interesting metaphor, I see truth in that through my own experiences.
I think the problem is that our governments job is so huge, they have trouble seeing the forrest for the trees. Using the industrial business model where "I only make door handles on this car, but I don't build cars", they tend to work against each other as discrete units with separate objectives instead of cooperate on a common mission because... they in fact have no common mission. I think the lions share of what gets squandered in this nation can be attributed to this outdated approach, allowing public funds to be abused by a few who make a lifetime career of getting over on folks.
I believe the leader we need is the one who can pull folks together, not divide the proverbial house. Where is Lincoln when you need him? <sigh>
Well, according to the agent, the only discount I would get is if I had my home insured with them as well and she was only talking a $12 discount. I really can't believe insurance is that expensive in West Virginia. Ever since the federal goverment made it manditory in all states to have auto insurance, the industry became no more than scam artists. I have been driving 37 years, accident & ticket free with 26 of those years as a professional OTR trucker. To pay $129 a month for car insurance is just pure greed in my opinion.
I'm not sure if this applies in your situation, But auto insurance rates are higher to those who have had a bankruptcy or poor credit or have had no credit plus a low credit score!!!
Harborlady: thanks for the link...and Lincoln?
Wasn't he the third choice...the moderate candidate...
Who would have thought that 'Honest Abe', a nickname won as a judge of neighborhood chicken fights would be one of our most unlikely presidents...
He rose to the horrific occasion facing him and after working his way thorough the military prima-donas, McClelland, ect...gave the job to a relentless drunk...who ended the war in two years...and that drunk, rose to the occasion too, by implementing Lincoln's forgiveness to the southern rebels...
Grant is overlooked by history and as great a president as Truman...U.S. Grant was a great president in his own right...working through a corrupt Washington just as G.W. Bush has...
In politics, the duck squaking the most is the duck not getting the money...that will change in November...
How's this for an idea: complete transparency of taxation. every tax will have a picture of the guy who put in on you, so you'll know who to run over if you see him in the crosswalk.
Oh, wait, thats illegal.
Ok, we can all glare at him when we see him. His dentist, his waitress, his dog.
just an idea.
What if taxation were a positive thing and benefits were derived from them...I was thinking about Tammany Hall...they syndicate only stole 15%...5% to the widows and orphans, 5% to themselves and 5% to the slush fund...I think this country needs a real dose of socialism like the 20 years New Zealand and Australia went through...taxation into the 70% range. A complete smothering of business and investment until the infrastructure began to crumble and the people revolted...
Here in Wv, everything has a string attached to it...and that string leads to someone..the only guy in the entire state who manufactures and installs guard rails..or the only guy who furnishes the ankle bracelets or 'blow'n'go's for the dui drivers.
Now we are getting a new area code...this would not even be news anywhere else but someone, somewhere is getting the contract or sub-contract or a payoff or someway to benefit from this deal.
If we had complete transparancy in government here...everyone would be in jail and we could start again with a fresh bunch of BoZo's...maybe with term limits of some sort.
This being a political year of change, it seems fitting to get to know some of the hidden taxes are paying. Let's list the charges that are added to our normal bills to begin with..
I know this will be boring, I'm hoping the research and awareness will justify the effort.
Electric: Allegheny Power: $13.94 per month for Environmental Control.
$167.28 annual extra charge.
Landfill: Meadowfill to the WV Public Service Comm. $9.00 fuel charge ?
$108.00 annual extra charge
Telephone: Other: (at one time for the Rescue Squad) $2.16 per month
Other: Taxes and credits unknown $1.25 per month
Subscriber line charge: to bring the service into the state: $6.50
$118.92 annual extra charge.
Auto insurance: State Asessment $2.40
Cell Phone: Don't have that bill handy..has several charges.
Real Estate: Credit to 'Habitat for Humanity' by the seller: $20.00 per sale
Real Estate: Double taxes if you live out of state. WV takes 40% of county
real property taxes.
Auto: Annual inspection: $12.00 per year
MC: Training to ride a Motorcycle: $150.00
It is sad David, Ole WV ranks #13 nationwide in overall taxation, while #48 in overall personal wealth/standard of living (Money, Forbes, and Kiplinger's as reference)
I can still remember when I left WV in 1992 to New Jersey by transfer. Keep in mind this was New Jersey during Whitman, not McGreevy and Comrade Corzine. Once I moved to NJ, believe it or not my income tax rate went from 6.5% net to 3.7%, my cost of fuel dropped by 20% per gallon. I paid zero tax on food, clothing, and auto's. My inspection was annual at No cost, etc. Granted, since NJ went far left in 2000, it has been downhill every since.
My job has since taken me to Virginia, back to Jersey, to Chicago, and now Atlanta. Of all locations, overall taxation has always been less than WV, believe it or not.
Now that I am less than 10 years from retirement, I would not venture into WV, since as a retired person, my pension would be taxed! My property taxes would still be in effect, and I would receive no break. For example in GA, my neighbors father who is 72, pays no income tax, pays zero school taxes, pays nothing for his drivers license, etc., and has a better life. Funny, even with this Georgia has a 7 billion dollar surplus!
It has always been my belief that WV provides the best example in the nation of what happens after 145 years of solid veto proof Democrat control of government. Yes, there were GOP Gov's, but it is the legislature that controls the purse strings. Centralized government at it's best.
Come to think of it, another example is to look at NJ since 2000 once the Dem's became the power of all veto proof power. Of course, with John "The Billionare" Corzine, it is now the "Tax Hell" of America. And like WV suffering a population exodus of zero to negative growth.
NJ follows a progressive personal tax system ranging from 1.4% to somewhere around 8.5%
NJ sales tax is 7%, because the combined state and municipality tax gangs up on you, creating an artificial state tax listing of "3.5%". NY did the same. NY is as high as 9%, not counting the additional sub taxes for specific things considered 'luxuries' like parking or a hotel in nyc. Fuel is also one of the items subjected to a sub tax. Most of these tax rates were established during NY's republican years.
Your bias against dems undermines your argument when you ignore repub ills. Reality is, they both are guilty of the same things, the only difference is how the money gets distributed- to the masses with gov't programs, or to the top 5% (who are believed to invest their money into business that stimulates economy, when in fact they squander it as much as any gov't program would).
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