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If only expensive fighter jets were the only problem...how about the cost of maintaining (and supplying) almost 200,000 soldiers in dozens of military bases all around the globe?
This nation will be free and prosperous once it stops being an empire masquerading as a republic...
I can only answer for our military jets and their overall importance to the troops on the ground and in the air. Anything else including realistic costs (not fabricated fuzzy equations based on an agenda from Kalifornia) we'll need to speak with our politicians and representatives. Not the LA Times. I know...the devil speaks with a forked tongue.
Imagine a vast Internet spreadsheet of some sort where the taxpayers could allocate their federal taxes, line by line. There is no reason it can't be done.
The Obama administration has done a relatively decent job with open government. Granted, by no means has he lived up to the standards he originally promised, but that's to be expected for a campaign promise. Nevertheless, I can see a future maybe 20-25 years away where we are very close to reaching this ideal.
Even beyond itemized tax spreadsheets, some of the stuff developers have accomplished with crowdsourced govt data is pretty cool, for example phone apps that tap into NYC Subway data, etc. Small stuff that can make a big difference.
And for someone who usually hates paying taxes, I dont mind one bit. But it made me realize tat I don't necessarily hate taxes. What I hate, is having no say over where they go. I dont expect everyone to vote to put the taxes toward the same things I do, and I dont expect to win every vote, but at least I have a say. I wish we could do it this way more often.
How was their last, big school project (2006 high school expansion) execution? Any unexpected cost overruns?
Not that I can remember. I just did a quick google search to see if anything would refresh my memory, but I didn't come up with anything. Either way, I am happy we did it. When they were done, the high school looked more like a college campus than a high school.
Doc this kind of vote usually comes down to what the individual voter will get for their tax increase. I think you have children that will attend and use this expansion and will be a direct benefit in their education. Many people that have children out of the public schools have the thought process of cut, cut, cut. This is the overall view in most of life. We have seen it in Washington and Trenton for as long as I'm alive. Funny thing I was having a beer in the knights of columbus and 6 or 7 old timers were talking about Obamacare will bankrupt the country and it's a big overpriced govt. boondoggle. I said yeah u guys are all on medicare. The response was oh thats different. So they were fine getting govt. subsidized healthcare but if someone else gets it than it's govt. waste and ineffiency.
I always voted yes for our increased school budgets when I lived in NJ. It's for our children for Gosh sakes. Plus it's always a positive when it comes time to sell that you live in a progressive school district.
One more reason why educated people love NJ.
You want cheap taxes, move to NC and see what kind of dolts they produce in their schools.
Doc this kind of vote usually comes down to what the individual voter will get for their tax increase. I think you have children that will attend and use this expansion and will be a direct benefit in their education. Many people that have children out of the public schools have the thought process of cut, cut, cut. This is the overall view in most of life. We have seen it in Washington and Trenton for as long as I'm alive. Funny thing I was having a beer in the knights of columbus and 6 or 7 old timers were talking about Obamacare will bankrupt the country and it's a big overpriced govt. boondoggle. I said yeah u guys are all on medicare. The response was oh thats different. So they were fine getting govt. subsidized healthcare but if someone else gets it than it's govt. waste and ineffiency.
THIS. Drives me absolutely up the wall.
"If I get it, I earned it. If you get it, you're a lazy POS who's a taker."
I always voted yes for our increased school budgets when I lived in NJ. It's for our children for Gosh sakes. Plus it's always a positive when it comes time to sell that you live in a progressive school district.
One more reason why educated people love NJ.
You want cheap taxes, move to NC and see what kind of dolts they produce in their schools.
People without kids who consistently vote no don't get that an educated population benefits everyone, including themselves. Such narrow minded thinking sometimes.
That being said, I generally vote yes (we don't get a vote anymore if the budget is at or under the cap) but I do think I voted no once when I thought there was too much fluff. It did fail and they came back with a leaner budget without sacrificing the actual education.
Doc this kind of vote usually comes down to what the individual voter will get for their tax increase. I think you have children that will attend and use this expansion and will be a direct benefit in their education. Many people that have children out of the public schools have the thought process of cut, cut, cut. This is the overall view in most of life. We have seen it in Washington and Trenton for as long as I'm alive. Funny thing I was having a beer in the knights of columbus and 6 or 7 old timers were talking about Obamacare will bankrupt the country and it's a big overpriced govt. boondoggle. I said yeah u guys are all on medicare. The response was oh thats different. So they were fine getting govt. subsidized healthcare but if someone else gets it than it's govt. waste and ineffiency.
But as much as it is for my kids, it is also for my property values. As we talked about in another thread, property values are so tied into school systems. Even if I didn't have kids in school, I would rather pay a couple hundred bucks a year to keep my property value up. People that don't see this are being short sighted. Our high school used to be ranked in the low teens. Now it is down to 24, which is still pretty good, but i would hate to see the trend continue. The NJ Monthly/great school rankings may very well be BS, but their PR value is high. If we can reduce class sizes (they are approaching 22) and get the ranking back to where it was, then the town is more "desireable". Since I have small children, I get double the benefit.
Last edited by AnesthesiaMD; 03-14-2013 at 07:59 AM..
I always voted yes for our increased school budgets when I lived in NJ. It's for our children for Gosh sakes. Plus it's always a positive when it comes time to sell that you live in a progressive school district.
One more reason why educated people love NJ.
You want cheap taxes, move to NC and see what kind of dolts they produce in their schools.
That is certainly how it is usually presented, and I usually vote yes. But as tahiti mentioned, sometimes that line is used to keep the focus off of some bloated spending.
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