Lip Service
Politicians claim to be looking out for the poor when they exempt food purchases from sales taxes. The logic is that sales taxes on food are particularly regressive and hard on the poor. Which is all fine and good, until bureaucrats' jobs are on the line, and then regressive taxes sound find and good.
Bob Smith:
One wonders why they've stopped maintaining the roads, and cut library and school programs, before they cut wasteful and useless light rail service.
January 7, 2010, 1:30 amADiff:
I'd be willing to bet there are plenty of areas where the City of Phoenix could save a few bucks...contracts with mayoral girlfriends come immediately to mind, for example. In general I'd start with just about every "assistant" this or that or "Aid to" job in City Government. Then I'd move on to any program designed to 'address' some social issue or not directly related to basic services. Let the big-wigs do their own xeroxing and run their own errands to Quick Print for a change.
Apparently the city, like the state, has never seen a tax they didn't love, love the regressive ones best, and love spending money on non-essentials most of all!
January 7, 2010, 4:22 amme:
It's astounding that with all the enlightenment going on, we never made it beyond the simian notion of alphas to head us and tell us what to do. As opposed to people we pay to maintain our quality of life and who we get to fire if they do a terrible job.
I really don't buy the entire BS about independence of politicians anymore - after all, the flipside of being protected from immediate wrath if making a "hard" decision is indemnity from accountability. And I am seeing a lot more of the latter than the former.
January 7, 2010, 7:39 amjj:
On the plus side, the article says they're considering water rate increases.
January 7, 2010, 9:06 amIan Random:
I was listening to UFO radio last night while flossing and they had on Walter Burien who claims that government at all levels have large investment holdings that they conveniently forget about during a budget crisis.
http://cafr1.com/
Someone looking at all state CAFR's including AZ:
http://www.cafrman.com/Articles/Art-AZ-S1.htm
Total Surpluses… 11,449,891
January 7, 2010, 11:23 amPer Capita… 2,092
Rick C:
""I want enough to stop the bleeding and get ahead of the game," said Williams, who represents northwest Phoenix. "Nothing will be off the table with me at this point.""
Sure, nothing except reducing wasteful and/or unnecessary "services."
January 7, 2010, 2:43 pmJohn Moore:
I remember when they repealed the sales tax. The state Libertarian party had a big hand in that.
January 8, 2010, 4:55 pm