I hate my home state
Jul. 1st, 2002 09:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kellinatorhttp://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/07/01/tennessee.budget.ap/index.html
The people affected include several of my friends who attend Tennessee colleges, high-school classmates who were laid off from their teaching jobs this past spring, and my mother, a secretary for the Department of Children's Service, who has been laid off this week.
I am so livid. Tennesseans in general are too fucking stupid to understand that they're paying one of the highest sales taxes in the nation, sales taxes are hardest on lower-income people, and an income tax, with a resulting reduction in the income tax, would probably save 90% of the rock-throwing horn-honking protesters outside the state capitol money. I was especially infuriated to hear they were screaming at college students demonstrating in favor of the income tax to "go get a job." Indicative of Tennessee's general attitude -- why work to improve yourself when you can drop out of high school, get a shitty job, and drink beer and watch UT thugball on the weekends?
Even worse, they're talking about booting the sales tax up to 9.25% (including food)until November, when voters will apparently vote on an income tax. Look, I believe in democracy, but it's obvious the voters are living in a never-never-land and don't understand what is necessary or even fair. Sometimes what's the best thing to do isn't the popular thing. Should we have had a referendum in the '60s to let the voters decide on integration? I think fucking not.
But then again, what do you expect from a state that spends millions to attract pro sports teams but next to nothing on education?
It's no fucking wonder Tennessee's such a joke -- and well on track to replacing Mississippi and Arkansas as the national laughingstock.
The people affected include several of my friends who attend Tennessee colleges, high-school classmates who were laid off from their teaching jobs this past spring, and my mother, a secretary for the Department of Children's Service, who has been laid off this week.
I am so livid. Tennesseans in general are too fucking stupid to understand that they're paying one of the highest sales taxes in the nation, sales taxes are hardest on lower-income people, and an income tax, with a resulting reduction in the income tax, would probably save 90% of the rock-throwing horn-honking protesters outside the state capitol money. I was especially infuriated to hear they were screaming at college students demonstrating in favor of the income tax to "go get a job." Indicative of Tennessee's general attitude -- why work to improve yourself when you can drop out of high school, get a shitty job, and drink beer and watch UT thugball on the weekends?
Even worse, they're talking about booting the sales tax up to 9.25% (including food)until November, when voters will apparently vote on an income tax. Look, I believe in democracy, but it's obvious the voters are living in a never-never-land and don't understand what is necessary or even fair. Sometimes what's the best thing to do isn't the popular thing. Should we have had a referendum in the '60s to let the voters decide on integration? I think fucking not.
But then again, what do you expect from a state that spends millions to attract pro sports teams but next to nothing on education?
It's no fucking wonder Tennessee's such a joke -- and well on track to replacing Mississippi and Arkansas as the national laughingstock.
hey
To date, all of the proposals to introduce an income tax include a quiet repeal of Hall tax. This is why disgraceful Sunquist and many rich favor an income tax. If the Hall tax goes away, burden will be shifted heavily to the middle class, which is what the legislature is protecting against when they keep prevent the income tax from passing. An income tax might be more fair in theory, but none that have been proposed fit that description because they involve repealing Hall.
Besides, states always promise to reduce sales tax if people accept an income tax. They know you're comfortable paying 6% sales tax, so they reduce it to 3% for a while so you'll swallow the income tax. Then, they slowly notch sales tax back up to where it was. People have fallen for this trick in about 40 states so far.
-Alan
Re: hey
Date: 2002-07-01 04:28 pm (UTC)