Well.. is every citizen going to be taxed equally for it?
No..
Once again another pet project on the backs of the few....
Equal taxation, meaing, you and I pay the same in taxes, even tho I might earn and have far more assets than you?
Or is this a matter of usage ? As in,
"since I only drive on 3 roads in California, I will only pay a small portion of taxes".
"And I never ride a train, so I will not pay taxes for that".
"And I graduated from school and the kids are all grown, so I will not pay school taxes".
And, since I have never seen a terrorist or been attacked, and have never been to Iraq, I refuse to contribute any taxes to that effort"
The list goes on.
Question is: are you going to be a contributing part of a healthy society,
or a grumpy useless hermit ?
Equal taxation as in for every dollar you earn, and every dollar I earn, the same % goes towards the operation of government
I contribute to society and I have actually served society... I have served dutifully in our military, with honor... I contribute to worthwhile causes of my choice.. I work in an industry that a vast majority of people use and rely on... I buy products (both needed and wanted) and put my efforts and earnings into the things that provide many people jobs.. I do things in my community and for those in my community
Have you?
I thank you for your service. I too served in the US military, proudly, as does my elder son.
And I own a couple businesses that employ more than 200 people. Several retail stores and a firm that specializes in real estate renovation and management.
I pay personal and corporate taxes and fees out the ass, and my accountant has assigned a fulltime accountant to handle my increasingly complex affairs. Taxes and fees and legal and clerical expenses are costs of doing business, like fuel and electricity and tools and materials.
We rely upon public services and agencies more than most people or companies.
We have more and more been acquiring foreclosed and vacant properties and renovating. That requires a lot of time talking turkey to local officials about tax credits, and grants and utilities and zoning and building codes and so on.
As you might know, the military is the ultimate socialist/communist enterprise. Soldiers are not asked to purchase their own food adn weapons and supplies, to provide their own transportation and clothing and lodging. They are totally subsidized by the State. Every action and expense of the military is paid by your taxes and mine.
Should we alter that ? Every man for himself, the devil takes the hindmost.
There are important structures that serve a necessary communal functions that individual citizens cannot afford, that require our common agreement to invest governemt funds.
Parks, utilities, municipal buildings, military and law emforcement, Highways, schools, irrigation, etc etc.
There are many boondoggle projetcs that are government failures, or plain stupid or rife with corruption. That is why citizens must be involved and have input over OUR taxpayer money.
But that does not mean we just say NO to all taxpayer funded projects.
Improving our national transportation is crucial. We need to examine how to IMPROVE our national transportation, which is more expensive and more dysfunctional than our northern neighbor, Canada, and Europe's. Those are to some degree, taxpayer subsideized infrstructures that improve the nation as a whole. Same as military and dams and parks and highways, and all other major investments.
If you have been to Europe and travelled the rails, you know the potential. The US is vast, would benefit from a better rail system.
But the trick is - and this is the gist of many posters comments - do it smartly, with eyes open and facts laid out, do NOT make an expensive useless boondoggle.
Back in the 1980s, Buffalo NY built a subway, because that was what the Federal government was handing out funds for. Above ground bus or rail would have been far less expensive, and more capable, but subway it was forced to be.
Buffalo lays on deep bedrock, so they had to blast and tunnel every inch of that one rail line through dolomite. It was the most expensive subway, per mile, in the world.
Today, that single rail line is a nice empty railway tunnel. Underused, costing the city and county millions each year to maintain. A poorly concieved boondoggle, deluxe.
We can improve transportation, to reduce the cost of moving people and goods, but we must do it smartly. THis will take time, and
we need to pay attention to how our taxes are being spent.
But spend, we should, when we can get a positive return to society as a whole.
If my taxes pay for water conservation and filtration in drought areas, it is needed, I don't complain.
