Jan 03 2009
Don’t Send My Tax Dollars To Other States!
 
This financial mess has released the worst in people – greed. Instead of being responsible for their own state budgets and messes, now governors (mostly Democrat) are going to the Feds and asking to take my hard earned tax dollars and spend them bailing out states I don’t live, work or spend in.
Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country’s 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession.
The governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Wisconsin — all Democrats — said the initiative for the two-year aid package was backed by other governors and follows a meeting in December where governors called on President-elect Barack Obama to help them maintain services in the face of slumping revenues.
I pay my state income taxes to my state – Virginia. To hell with this crap. State leaders are being paid obscene salaries to manage the state funds and services. If they cannot do their job resign. But don’t come begging those of us who are managing to our budgets and living within our means to bail out those who are not. Don’t come begging when you have plenty of money, you just don’t have the discipline to be responsible with it.
This whole bailout mess is a crock of BS. Who is going to bail out the American taxpayer?
“Who is going to bail out the American taxpayer?”
Good question. Quite seriously, it will be the rest of the world when we default on payments for the $2 trillion in debt we’ll issue over the next year. By the end of 2010, the US government will have over $10 trillion in private debt outstanding.
Everyone says it’s impossible for the US to ever default, of course. But look how angry the idea of sending money to other states makes you – imagine 5 years from now, when your taxes are being raised once again just to meet the yearly $500 billion in interest payments that are due to China, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States. (the nations buying the bulk of our debt these days)
Will you – will any American – really accept heavy cuts to our military spending (among other things) just so we can keep giving China the money to build up theirs? Because that’s the choice we’re coming too sooner than you think.
One thing is guaranteed – you will never see a balanced federal budget again in your lifetime. The interest on the debt we’ve accumulated alone is enough to ensure that.
If everything is shrinking, then why not government employees and programs. I’m sick of bailouts. Both State and Federal governments get gas taxes, why haven’t the taxes paid for roads, bridges etc. I think I know the answer, those taxes pay for other things. So now we the people need to bail out roads and bridges again, we have paid for them once.
Our deciders in congress, both state and local need to go. If we lowered corporate taxes my bet is we could turn this recession around.
Giving so much money away will but this country in a place that if anything happens that is unexpected we will be up shit creek with no options. In a family if you use your last dollar to buy a new car and then the old heating system goes down, what are your options?
heard the other day where Jan 1 brought more MediCal to all children of parents under 300% of the poverty level in the state of California. now I already know Cal is bankrupt. who will get this coverage. Citizens of California, well, yes but wait, there is no means testing, you don’t have to be a citizen of California, you don’t even have to be an American citizen, in fact, you can be an illegal immigrant. So what does that really mean? how can they know about your financial qualifications if they can’t even know who your parents are and if they are citizens or not. Now, of course, this is going to administered by California, but who’s going to pay for it, since California is broke. Why you and me, of course, the fine taxing paying legal citizens of other fine states that are slightly better managed.
Redteam,
I agree whole heartedly. One of the things I liked about the McCain-Kyl-Bush immigration bill was the requirement for immigrants to be traced and pay their fair share of the burden.
And until we get a comprehensive bill I am all for means testing.
AJ,
I do agree with you most of the time, but lately???
I do agree whole heartedly this time. The problem with your argument is, however, that Virginia is part of the beggers three dozen.
Virginia is running a 6.7% budget deficit ($1.1 Billion). It will be much worse than that. The state projected gap is 10.4%. I think it will be worse than that.
There are 43 states with deficits, 11 of which are running a current deficit of less than 3%. Meaning that 32 of them are running a deficit greater than 3%.
Now, I believe California should not pay Virginia’s credit card balance – we will have to cut service and fire folks to pay ours!!!
State Budget Deficits
There is GOING to be an aweful lot of pain over the next few years. Individuals, corporations, cities, states, and the bloated federal government will have to live far under their means to get through this…
I don’t really think the feds should send a lot of money to these states, but in all fairness AJ, the people who live in those states are taxpayers too. And all of us pay for things we do not personally take advantage of. For instance, I am childless but I have been paying taxes to educate other people’s children all my working life. That is how it works.
I think that some amount of aid to certain financial institutions is probably a good idea, just to keep things working and operating..but if the states can make cuts to make their shortfalls they should.
BTW, I live in Indiana…last I heard we had a surplus. However, if that auto bailout had not gone through a lot of Indiana businesses would have felt the ripple effects of those closings and then Indiana might not have been in such good shape fiscally. I just hope that lasts.
In fact I would imagine that most Americans would rather help the states than support a moon mission if the truth be told.
I don’t have links right now, but I read that 63% supported Bush’s move to support the auto industry and 56% support Obama’s stimulus program. I think people’s attitudes are changing toward the notion of government intervention…it seems more people support it.
For now. That might well change in the near future.
Well, I am very much in favor of space technology. We would be up the creek without a paddle is the Russians, the Chinese or, God help us, the Iranians became supreme in space. We would be literally at their mercy. I would rather spend the money on space than send it to states.
I am opposed to sending bailouts to states not because I grudge the states the money but because the feds put so many strings on this money. They have already made a good start with the education money and infrastructure money. The libs want globalization. But first they have to have nationalization. I feel any bailouts would tamper with the independence of the states. Besides, the first thing the states need to do is cut their social programs to the bone. I haven’t noticed any of them doing this. In fact, I have not heard of any plans to do this or any mention of doing this at all.
it’s not bailing out banks and auto companies that is the problem, or the space program for that matter. It’s bailing out states ‘social’ programs that I find offensive. If California or Virginia agree to pay their people social goodies that they can’t afford, other states shouldn’t bail them out. Let them cut their own programs. Why should Louisiana pay for illegal immigrants children in California to have medical care if Louisiana doesn’t provide that care in La. Answer: they shouldn’t. If Cal can afford it and want to tax their citizens for it, go for it.