General Assembly Plays Chicken With People's Lives
Submitted by James Protzman on Sun, 06/17/2007 - 9:34pm
As usual, Chris Fitzsimon does some excellent work at NC Policy Watch. This is important.
Read the story . . . and then contact every Democratic representative you can find. Don't bother with Republicans like this jerk-off. They're not worth your trouble. And don't bother with the Senate either. From all I can tell, they're a sold-out bunch of Republicans in Democratic clothing.
Lower taxes on millionaires, higher taxes on thousands of working families, fewer services to help children, the mentally ill, and kids at risk of dropping out of school—that is essentially the Senate position in budget negotiations with the House at the end of the week. And the Senate believes it has a ticking clock on its side.
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The Senate’s biggest advantage in the debate is the calendar. If nothing happens before July 1, the taxes will automatically expire. Both the House and Senate must pass continuing budget resolutions to keep state government operating beyond June 30th.
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The House budget has plenty of problems of its own on the spending side, but in terms of tax fairness, budget integrity, and making the vital investments in human services, it is clearly superior to the Senate proposal.
It has been a while since the differences were so stark between the two chamber’s spending plans and the stakes were so high, not just for the immediate future, but for years to come. The Senate may have the clock on its side, but the House has something far more important, a better plan for the state. What we need now is an honest and substantive debate about the final budget that would make that clear.
Speaker Joe Hackney should have a quick sit-down with Senator Tony Rand (or Marc Basnight if he's back) and make one simple threat: If the Senate runs out the clock on these tax increases, the House will run out the clock on everything else. Joe should threaten to hold EVERYTHING hostage on every front. No compromises on anything.
And Governor Easley should back Joe up 1000%.
Dig in hard and don't give an inch on anything, Joe. Stay in session all dang year if that's what it takes.
The House is doing the people's work, while the Senate is an embarrassment and a joke. Stay strong, Speaker Hackney. That's why we have two houses in the General Assembly.
To my knowledge.
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Is it just me
or was the Senate more progressive when we had a smaller majority? Do we need to give some seats back?
What is WRONG with These People?
Rand’s plan, which has the support of a growing number of
The counties would also get the chance to then raise the local sales tax another half a cent to raise more local revenue, an offer few counties could afford to refuse. The statewide temporary sales tax the Senate wants to end is one fourth of a penny.
Add it all up and it’s clear why the House leadership is steadfastly opposed to the plan. At the end of all the swapping and tax cutting and raising, the regressive sales tax would increase a quarter of one percent and the income tax on the state’s wealthiest taxpayers would decrease by a quarter of a percent.
Has the Senate lost their collective minds? Did everything they've learned go in one ear and fall out the other side?
That's some incredibly short sighted thinking they've got going on there. Someone throw them an extra brain.
Rand
Rand was one of 4 Democrats who signed Grover Norquist's tax pledge so this is a way to have his cake and eat it. He was joined by David Hoyle in the Senate, Nelson Cole and Jim Crawford in the House.
oh jesus
shoot me now.
Draft Brad Miller-- NC Sen ActBlue
You Know - That's Just Stupid
"promise" to not raise taxes ...
Yeah? Like NEVER EVER raise taxes?
Sometimes a tax is a good thing. When it is initiated for one specific thing and when that goal has been met - the tax goes away.
The big problem comes when you get 'used' to having that money and try to fit the budget around that money.
Money (tax) is just a tool like a safety pin or a bulldozer. You use it when you need it and then you put it away til you need it again. You DON'T keep driving your bulldozer all day every day.
sheesh. when will people get a clue?