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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Racer on October 9, 2006, at 21:16:24
There's an ad going right now for Schwartenegger's campaign: "Help Governor Schwartenegger protect the California dream -- with no new taxes!" Basic message is that Angelides is planning to raise taxes. In fact, it says something about not being able to afford to raise families in California if Angelides is elected. (I'm so disgusted by those smear campaigns. Bring back Everett Dirksen -- at least he was clever about it!)
Of course, my understanding is that Angelides has discussed creating new taxes, which wouldn't be applied to everyone -- some sorts of use taxes, etc. And actually collecting existing taxes that are falling through the cracks now. It's not income tax, at any rate. So the ad is misleading on the face of it.
But you know what? I wouldn't mind taxes that actually did some good. If the tax money actually went to schools, infrastructure, etc? No problem -- I'm fine with that. (Always assuming that corporations also paid appropriate taxes, by the way.) Taxes are not bad in and of themselves. "Taxes" is not a bad word, there won't be an asterisk in this post because I've typed those letters in that sequence.
Could we maybe discuss something more substantive? Like maybe that whole "special interest" issue?
Posted by alexandra_k on October 10, 2006, at 8:07:15
In reply to TAXES! Another campaign ad pet peeve, posted by Racer on October 9, 2006, at 21:16:24
> There's an ad going right now for Schwartenegger's campaign...
dare i say... only in california ;-)
Posted by Racer on October 10, 2006, at 14:51:39
In reply to Re: TAXES! Another campaign ad pet peeve, posted by alexandra_k on October 10, 2006, at 8:07:15
> > There's an ad going right now for Schwartenegger's campaign...
>
> dare i say... only in california ;-)
>
>{sigh} Short memories, maybe?
Seems to me there was another candidate for office in the States who promised No New Taxes, too... I wonder what happened with that?
Posted by mair on October 11, 2006, at 20:54:04
In reply to Re: TAXES! Another campaign ad pet peeve » alexandra_k, posted by Racer on October 10, 2006, at 14:51:39
Racer - years ago my grandmother, who was actually a Barry Goldwater supporter, actually said that she wished she could pay more taxes because taxes bought such wonderful things. I'm sure she said that pre-Vietnam war.
I have developed this theory that i call trickle down taxation. Bush can refuse to increase taxes, and claim to even reduce them, but it doesn't stop Congress from passing laws which essentially require states and localities to increase spending. (No child left behind?) Governors also like to claim they won't raise taxes, which generally means that the State won't fund those federal unfunded mandates. Everything trickles down to the towns. Property taxes in my small town are truely astronomical. At the beginning of Bush's first term, one of my Senators said that if Bush wanted to truly reduce taxes for people in my state, he'd come up with more federal funding for special education.
Wouldn't it be great if someone could run on the platform of "I won't promise not to raise taxes, but I will promise to spend your money wisely?"
Mair
Posted by Racer on October 12, 2006, at 10:08:12
In reply to Re: TAXES! Another campaign ad pet peeve » Racer, posted by mair on October 11, 2006, at 20:54:04
>
> Wouldn't it be great if someone could run on the platform of "I won't promise not to raise taxes, but I will promise to spend your money wisely?"
>
> MairI'd vote for someone using that slogan!
(Wait. I did vote for him, didn't I? Didn't Fritz Mondale say, "I'm going to raise your taxes. If he were honest, he'd tell you he's going to raise taxes, too. The difference is I'll spend them more wisely?" Something like that?)
(You know, I really liked Mondale. Always did. Guess I'm weird -- he barely carried his home state, but I liked him so much I'd have voted for him twice.)
Still, that's a great idea, and I wish it would work. Or, I wish someone would try it, so that we could see if it worked. I get so cynical, and I think that people treat the phrase "no new taxes" as a sort of mantra rather than an actual idea. "He's going to raise taxes!" is used in place of some other disparaging remark. (Everett Dirksen said his opponent's sister was a thespian, and people figured that was reason enough to defeat the poor guy. Especially since he also said the opponent matriculated at college. Obviously a sinkhole of morality, huh?) Communists aren't scary anymore, better call him a tax-raiser!
Thanks for chiming in, Mair.
This is the end of the thread.
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