Politicians are at it again...

[toesuf94]

I hate to open a Pandora's box and begin a political thread in our forums, but this one hits home where we all live: A proposed tax increase on gasoline to pay for infrastructure improvements to our highways and bridges. The Democrats have not even let the dust settle in Minneapolis and they are already screaming for a tax-increase to pay for the repairs that are 'vital to the Nation'. I say this is another quick dash for the cash and another attempt at slight of hand when they should take another look at the numbers and tell us where the money is going!

Take a look at the chart on the clicky... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/usgastaxes.asp

The U.S. Government collects 18.5 cents per gallon of fuel we buy now. In March 2005, we were buying 320,500,000 gallons of gasoline per DAY ( I am sure that has gone UP a bit in the past 2 years) That is a tax revenue to the government of $59,292,500 million per DAY...or $21,641,762,500 per year...and that is just to the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT and only ONE Revenue Source!!! The States are cashing in at nearly the same rate per gallon and now they want MORE? Where is the accountability in the system to see where the cash is going now? We are not even talking about our payroll taxes, Social Security, FICA...this is just the taxes we pay to do what we love to do - drive the cars we all love so much.

Folks, For YEARS ( and I am NOT talking about the last 8 or 16 - this has been going on forever! ) these funds have been diverted for pet projects; welfare, failed housing projects, repayment of loans out of Social Security (that have not happened yet), wars, NASA...these taxes were originally put in place to build the highway system, and at first they were used as such...but after the roads were built, the raiding began. This is happening at both the state and Federal level, and frankly it sucks, and it is up to US to stop it. We need to make these career politicians accountable for OUR money and put a stop to the lining of pockets in Washington and at the state level. There should be a public outcry demanding an accounting of the taxes collected for the roads and where the money actually went.

I am not wanting to start a political debate here - I want to make people aware of what is at stake here...this is not Republican versus Democrat versus Independent. This is a cry to arms for all of us to stop the waste that we contend with daily at a Government level. None of us could go out and do what they are doing with our money on a continuing basis. WE would go broke. They simply just take more out of OUR pockets to make up the shortfalls they come up with. We cannot do that, and at the rates they are collecting money, it is unsustainable. Sooner or later, we will realize that we will make more money if we DON'T work at all and just stay home and collect a check from the Government. The problem with that is soon you have nobody working and the country fails. And the other point is: What are we getting for our money? The Roads suck, the bridges suck, Social Security will be broke in 2017, cost of living continues to rise daily and the answer to the problems is to RAISE TAXES? Nope. The answer is to DEMAND that the people we hire to run the business of the country shall be accountable for that business and be held responsible when they fail to do their jobs.

The bridge in Minneapolis showed them with thier hands still caught in the cookie jar. It is up to US to put a lid on it once and for all, or the way of life we all know and love will be over! None of us can afford anything if we continue to give it all to the Government. I personally like to spend MY money the way I want to, and not give it to others to spend for me.

Edited August 14, 2007 by toesuf94

[RJB]

Waste + haste = U.S. Government. Bush doesn't even know where the money is disappearing, because he said lets look at where all the money goes and how it is spent before increasing this tax and spending more money. Term limits, term limits, term limits I say, and a set salary for the term of the politican. I'm not talking terms limits that are very short either, I mean they have to get in there and do something rather than nothing like they are now. Too much of politics is a shell game...hide it here, hide it there.

[toesuf94]

Waste + haste = U.S. Government. Bush doesn't even know where the money is disappearing, because he said lets look at where all the money goes and how it is spent before increasing this tax and spending more money. Term limits, term limits, term limits I say, and a set salary for the term of the politican. I'm not talking terms limits that are very short either, I mean they have to get in there and do something rather than nothing like they are now. Too much of politics is a shell game...hide it here, hide it there.

Exactly! And why do they get a cost of living increase year after year after year with free medical and they get paid until they die! The way to fortune in this country is not hard work any more...it is getting elected to a high office! Term limits are a start...and accountability. Bush, love him or hate him, is on the right track - let's look at where the money has gone or where it is BEFORE we raise the taxes. That ought to make him really popular on BOTH sides of the isle...

[CARBIZ]

The great thing about democracy is that you always elect the politicians that you deserve. Nobody wants to hear the truth, whether it's Global Warming, the war in Iraq, federal deficits - nobody wants to hear it. All we want to hear is that our taxes will go down and services won't be cut. Election after election, we continually vote only for the clowns that tell us what we want to hear.

The most successful nations in history are the ones who consistently balanced their military and their economy. Too big a military, and the economy suffers; too small a military, and the successful nation is open to invasion. The U.S. is finding that being the lone policeman on the beat is getting expensive. You are building hospitals and highways in Baghdad, while your own are falling apart.

[aaaantoine]

The U.S. is finding that being the lone policeman on the beat is getting expensive. You are building hospitals and highways in Baghdad, while your own are falling apart.

Not to mention, there will almost certainly be a greater ROI by building / maintaining the local hospitals and highways. The Iraqi hospitals will probably get bombed to bits before they break even.

[Camino LS6]

" Rise up! Children The fight goes on and on.

Wise up! Children..."

[A Horse With No Name]

The great thing about democracy is that you always elect the politicians that you deserve. Nobody wants to hear the truth, whether it's Global Warming, the war in Iraq, federal deficits - nobody wants to hear it. All we want to hear is that our taxes will go down and services won't be cut. Election after election, we continually vote only for the clowns that tell us what we want to hear.

The most successful nations in history are the ones who consistently balanced their military and their economy. Too big a military, and the economy suffers; too small a military, and the successful nation is open to invasion. The U.S. is finding that being the lone policeman on the beat is getting expensive. You are building hospitals and highways in Baghdad, while your own are falling apart.

Every so often a really honest person running for office comes out...and then gets 10% of the vote.

Somebody please tell me why we are in Iraq.

Chris

[CSpec]

If the US wasn't spending hundreds of billions on Iraqis killing each other....