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Post by The Big Dog on Jun 15, 2008 0:13:36 GMT -5
This proposal for yacht owners was from the state Republicans. You have a link or something on that? When K-14 education receives 50% of the state's general fund budget every year, by mandate of a voter initiative (and that would be almost $60 billion this fiscal year) it's hard for me to fathom your comment that the schools need more help. Like the majority of state government, the school districts need to get their fiscal houses in order and show us all where the money is really going. The Oakland school district, as example, couldn't pass a simple audit over a period of several years but kept simply asking for more money, more money, more money. Someone finally got wise to it and the district wound up with a state receiver in charge to try and sort out where the hundreds of millions of dollars they've been receiving all these years really went. Here is a suggestion... quit listening to the poor mouth ads that are blanketed out by the California Teacher's Association that do nothing but spread disinformation and whip hysteria, and get some facts. |
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Post by Mink on Jun 15, 2008 0:39:29 GMT -5
This proposal for yacht owners was from the state Republicans. You have a link or something on that? When K-14 education receives 50% of the state's general fund budget every year, by mandate of a voter initiative (and that would be almost $60 billion this fiscal year) it's hard for me to fathom your comment that the schools need more help. Like the majority of state government, the school districts need to get their fiscal houses in order and show us all where the money is really going. The Oakland school district, as example, couldn't pass a simple audit over a period of several years but kept simply asking for more money, more money, more money. Someone finally got wise to it and the district wound up with a state receiver in charge to try and sort out where the hundreds of millions of dollars they've been receiving all these years really went. Here is a suggestion... quit listening to the poor mouth ads that are blanketed out by the California Teacher's Association that do nothing but spread disinformation and whip hysteria, and get some facts. Here is the link regarding state Republicans-yachts: articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/16/local/me-cuts16quote: One group that emerged unscathed is yacht owners. Democrats had hoped to raise $26 million in revenue by closing a loophole that allows the boat owners, as well as owners of airplanes and recreational vehicles, to avoid paying sales tax by keeping their newly purchased vessels out of state for 90 days. Republicans in the Assembly blocked the proposal, saying it was a tax hike that would ultimately drive down yacht sales. BTW, I didn't listen to the teacher's association. It just makes sense to me to put money into our schools. If the schools can't pass an audit, that is no excuse to deprive the children of needed funds/education. |
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Post by subdjoe on Jun 15, 2008 2:09:43 GMT -5
Mink wrote: "BTW, I didn't listen to the teacher's association. It just makes sense to me to put money into our schools. If the schools can't pass an audit, that is no excuse to deprive the children of needed funds/education."
What if the schools have been misusing the funds? Should we just keep throwing more money into the blackhole and watch it disappear? HALF of our money goes into the schools. We could double that, shut down everything else in the state, and it wouldn't make any difference - they would still be screaming for more money. There needs to be some accountability.
Also, lets try cutting out a bunch of the admin that soaks up so much money. And dial it back to the basics, concentrate on the 3-Rs. AND - teach everything in English (except the foreign language classes). Give one year of ESL. Kids shouldn't be able to go K-12 being taught in languages other than english. I saw something on PBS a few years back, Oakland had to teach in over 60 languages. Why? That is a waste of resources and manpower. Kind of odd how the military could take adults, who have a hard time learning a new language, and in a few months have them, if not fluent, at least able to get by in other languages. But the schools, working with kids at an age where learning a new language is easy, can't do it in 12 years.
Oh,and cut out all the social engineering and revisionist history classes, too.
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Post by Mink on Jun 15, 2008 2:49:05 GMT -5
No problem with that Subdjoe. Accountability is key.
Now, how about those yachts?
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Post by subdjoe on Jun 15, 2008 7:44:39 GMT -5
First, I agree that the taxes should be applied to yachts. But that really is an emotional non-issue meant to deflect attention to the real problem - the dems in our legislature never saw a cause or a special interest that they didn't want to throw money at (except for gun safety programs like Eddy Eagle - they WANT and NEED deaths by misuse of firearms so they can keep trying to ban them - but that is another thread).
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Post by The Big Dog on Jun 15, 2008 12:30:39 GMT -5
Mink you've travelled into an area where the tax and spend go-alongs among the population totally go off the rails. It's called "cause and effect".
Yes let's apply exorbitant sin taxes to all these luxury items. Then let's watch the sales of those items dry up and blow away in the wind. There goes the sales taxes that were being collected on everything from the boat to the fuel and equipment (required by law) to operate it. Then the jobs that support the industry go away, along with those payroll taxes. And pretty soon the state is right back where it was before, in deep financial doo-doo but with less revenue in the stream.
Doing some more research on the proposal I found a certain amount of demagougery. What the Democrats call "yachts" are pretty much any boat above a skiff. Your neighbor's 20 foot ski boat... that's a yacht. Subject to a luxury tax under the proposal. Can't afford the taxes, so gotta sell the boat. But that's okay because your neighbor is better off than you anyway so he needs to be punished for his success and his wealth re-distributed by the state.
As to your contention that we need to pour money blindly into education without any accountability or measure of success... are you sure? Really? If so then please write me a big check that empties half your savings and I'll open the best school you've ever seen.
I promise.
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Post by Mink on Jun 15, 2008 18:20:47 GMT -5
Cause & effect? Ok, that applies to our schools, healthcare...etc.
If the Republicans are so adimant on saving jobs in the yacht business, they should look into the future when there will be uneducated numb skulls looking for work... who will build those yachts in 20 years? Meanwhile, teachers are losing their jobs now.
As for accountability, I agree it should enforced nationally from the lowly construction worker all the way to the top where the CIC sits.
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Post by bolverk on Jun 20, 2008 12:48:57 GMT -5
Maybe Bloverk would rather increase the deficit? If you can't afford, don't spend or are you in debt too? Hold your horses. You forget that this particular state has been in the grip of progressive government since I was a child. If they are so darn smart, why do we have a deficit here in California? I will tell you why. Because your party has taxed the business right out of this state, and the productive people with it. The only big business left is Wal*Mart and Hollywood. |
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Post by bolverk on Jun 20, 2008 12:50:52 GMT -5
No problem with that Subdjoe. Accountability is key. Now, how about those yachts? Are you talking about the American yacht industry that was damaged by the increased luxury taxes by the Clinton administration? A fine example of why you can not tax a country into prosperity. Or was that lost upon you. |
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Post by bolverk on Jun 20, 2008 12:53:16 GMT -5
Explain this one Mink:
Buck Knives celebrated its century mark in 2002. Its legendary blades have devoted fans worldwide and have been favorites of generations of outdoorsmen. In January 2003, CEO and president C.J. Buck regretfully announced that the company would be moving from its longtime California home in El Cajon, near San Diego, to Post Falls, Idaho. Mr. Buck said he loved the El Cajon-East County area where he grew up, "so it's very sad to have to make this decision." However, high taxes, energy costs, workers" compensation costs, and regulations have made continued manufacturing in California unfeasable. The move to Idaho will save the company millions of dollars annually. The loss to California: 250 jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue.
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Post by bolverk on Jun 20, 2008 12:54:20 GMT -5
Yes Mink, if you over tax them, they will go.
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Post by bolverk on Jun 20, 2008 13:15:46 GMT -5
Here is another article that may open your progressive eyes. But, I doubt it. California has not been able to tax itself to prosperity. Maybe they should reverse the trend and actually lower taxes here. Here is an excerpt for you, but you probably disagree with the assessment: Small business owners are particularly hard hit by California taxation. According to the California Taxpayers' Association, the richest 10 percent of earners pay almost 75 percent of the entire income tax revenue in the state, and most of these are small-business owners. Thus, under California's backward tax policy, the very entrepreneurs responsible for economic growth and prosperity are being punished the most severely. But, this excerpt says it all, increasing taxes decreases revenue: Given California's tax-happy political culture, it is no wonder the wealthy and the successful are leaving the state in droves. According to The Wall Street Journal, the number of Californians reporting million-dollar incomes plummeted from 44,000 in 2000 to 25,000 in 2003— at a cost of $9 billion in lost tax revenue. Even the stock market downturn after the "dot-com" bubble burst cannot account for such a dramatic decline. So, Mink. Do you still believe that raising taxes is the answer to all our problems? Remember to stand in that bucket, grab that handle, and then pull real hard. Let's see just how high you can lift it.
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