hugo

Yep, it probably would. In this political climate any tax reform resulting in decreasing spreading the wealth is impossible.

I think the flat tax is politically impossible. I believe the sales tax, with exemptions on certain basic items, is the most politically possible. Somehow we must start shrinking the size of government and not just trade one form of tax revenue for another. Apologize for the mistake. I get Texas's northern territories confused sometimes. The best source of government revenues is user fees. For roads this is best done with gasoline taxes.

Three basic problems with IWS's accusation: 1) I do not support every action the Texas legislature takes, anymore than he supports every action that the Kansas legislature takes, or the US congress. 2) The absurd statement that in order not to be a socialist I should send the state more money. Let me use an example of why you should accept whatever benefits government gives you providing you are a net payor to the government: You live on an island nation with 10 other people. The ten people all make 10K a year. You make 100K a year. By a vote of 10 to 1 the government of that island decides to tax everyone 10% and redistribute the money equally. You must pay 10K in taxes. Everyone else 1k. This leaves 20k to be split up evenly, 2K each. Should you accept the 2K? Yes, you should. it reduces the level of socialism on that island by 2k. The fact is I pay more than I receive in government benefits, as do most people with a steady work history. 3) The assumtion that I benefit from taxes on oil production. One of my companies largest customer bases consist of oil companies. Taxes on oil companies depress economic activity (the taxes in Texas are, thankfully, quite small compared to Alaska's). These taxes may well reduce my economic well=being. I thought it was just a liberal mantra that individuals always benefit from taxes on others. That is far from the truth. When money is taken from the private sector and sucked up by government it tends to harm the working citizenry.

The only Texan I support for President is Ron Paul.; not Mr. Perry or any other Texan. Now, show me Mr. Paul's socialist agenda. At least I do not live in a state where the governor supports killing babies.

The alcohol tax equates to $25 a Texan, the oil production tax $50. I drink more than twice as much as the average Texan, I do not benefit from the welfare programs Texas spends a good part of their revenue on. The 25% sales tax is more than enough to pay for the legitimate uses of government.

You will probably be sober in the morning and realize how ridiculosly stupid your arguments are tonight.

Info: Revenue by Source for Fiscal Year 2008 Tax Collections By Major Tax Tax Collections By Major Tax Amount Percent of Total Percent Change from 2007 Sales Tax $21,604,090,350 24.8% Motor Vehicle Sales/Rental $3,341,588,813 3.8% Motor Fuels Taxes $3,101,526,779 3.6% Franchise Tax $4,451,325,736 5.1% Insurance Taxes $1,450,184,267 1.7% Natural Gas Production Tax $2,684,647,510 3.1% Cigarette and Tobacco Taxes $1,446,894,671 1.7% Alcoholic Beverage Taxes $784,068,675 0.9% Oil Production Tax $1,436,879,156 1.7% Inheritance Tax $5,580,142 0.0% Utility Taxes $503,878,555 0.6% Hotel Tax $370,979,724 0.4% Other Taxes $176,284,575 0.2% Total Taxes $41,357,928,953 47.5% Other Major Sources of Revenue Tax Collections By Other Revenue Sources Amount Percent of Total Percent Change from 2007 Federal Income $26,238,327,684 30.2% Licenses, Fees, Permits, Fines and Penalties $10,227,892,331 11.8% Interest and investment Income $2,309,013,776 2.7% Net Lottery Proceeds $1,597,487,228 1.8% Sales of Goods and Services $495,941,577 0.6% Settlements of Claims $548,521,665 0.6% Land Income $1,050,029,895 1.2% Contributions to Employee Benefits $15,020,092 0.0% Other revenue sources $3,142,862,204 3.6% Total Other Sources $45,625,096,453 52.5% Totals may not sum due to rounding. I contribute enough in Alcohol Beverage taxes to make up for more than whatever the perceived benefit in taxes on oil is. I got a job, I benefit very little from state programs. Not enough to cover my increased drinking expenses.

I don't support 80% of what the state of Texas does with that money. The 20% I support can easily be supported by the sales tax I pay on I buy. I do not benefit from the social welfare programs that our state spends a good deal of their budget on. In fact, I suffer for it. The programs encourage sloth which results in higher crime rates. Now, if I was a cop, it might increase my job security.

That would be in' stupid. Why should I contribute toward increasing the size of government that I abhor? It gets worse all the time, now conservatives on this site think individuals should contribute even more of their hard earned dollars to government.

Without going any farther you are assuming that just because I live in Texas I agree with everything the Texas legislature does. I guess because you live in the USA you support everything Obama does. Sarah Palin is GW Bush in a skirt, an individual with no principles on economic issues. The only Texas politician I support is Ron Paul. You can keep supporting socialism at a slower rate.

Deficits mean future tax increases, pure and simple. Deficit spending should be viewed as a tax on future generations, and politicians who create deficits should be exposed as tax hikers. Ron Paul

Why not just use it to reduce the current deficit?

I say we just let white males vote like in the good ole days.

Gumbo Gumbo du Monde He's right about the stock.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fNsU8JfgcE]YouTube - Mad Tv - Police Officer hits on a Woman[/ame] White cops harassing black men and black cops harassing white women; what we gonna do with our men in blue?

"If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, every thing, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress.... Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America." James Madison

Surprises me there are not some arrests for disturbing the peace.

A bad idea, the majority will vote in favor because they will think the rich are paying for it. Let's go back to the Madisonian philosophy where the federal government has limited and enumerated powers. If it was likely to fail Specter would not be endorsing it.

I am surprised the Republicans that interrupt these meetings are not charged with a crime the way Professor Gates was for asserting his 1st Amendment rights.

You can't do that while waving at the neighbor's wife either.......er...uhh...that is what a friend told me.

Hate to tell ya this, but ya ain't gotta own, or even pay rent, on the property you reside within to be covered under the Bill of Rights. You also need to read more than my quotes of Spencer, so you can understand Spencer's quotes in context. Believe me, Spencer was no fan of people being dragged from their property for talking to an irresponsible police officer. The officers responsibility is to proyect and serve, not to incarcerate honest citizens for talking crap to them.

The goosestepping continues. The fact is Gates was evoking his 1st Amendment rights to protest government at the most local level. It is sad how TJ has joined the same mindset of those who would shut down talk radio. Sad, how disrespect for our once great Constitution fills both sides of the political divide. I will finish with this unless TJ can actually address the philisophical and constitutional issues which would be akin to expecting a three year old to discuss nuclear fusion. Henry Louis Gates Arrest Case Is About Liberty, Not Race, Beer, or Stupidity Both parties acted stupidly, as did the president. But being obnoxious in your own home is no crime By Robert Schlesinger Posted August 5, 2009

Happy Bday, ya old goosestepper.

Why do you hate authority?

It is sad you have no respect for the 1st Amendment. Now go arrest an unruly negro. If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. George Orwell