Hoarding Tax Dollars (contractor discovers the depth of government profligacy in California)

American Thinker ^ | 05/18/2012 | Scott Mayer

[SeekAndFind]

California is headed for the fiscal cliff even sooner than was expected, as the budget deficit has suddenly grown from a projected $9.2 billion to $16 billion. Governor Brown, who helped put California on its current unsustainable path during a prior term as governor, wants to raise taxes even higher, which will further cripple the economy of this already over-taxed state.

Of course, Brown and Democrat-controlled legislature can't find any legitimate areas where spending could be cut and instead threaten to slash spending for schools and public safety. This is akin to an alcoholic who, when confronted with a lower income, claims he can no longer feed his children while pushing a shopping cart full of booze toward the cash register.

I'm an electrical contractor in California, and if the level of construction activity is indicative of the health of an economy, this state is on its deathbed. I recently gained not only a tiny glimpse of the true state of the economy, but also another example of why California and the federal government are always broke, no matter how much additional money is confiscated in the form of taxes.

I was recently invited to a job walk for a very small residential remodel in small Northern California city by one of the general contractors I frequently work with. It was for a federally funded city program that provides zero-interest, zero-payment 30-year "loans" for low-income households.

Given the size of this project (no more than $60K), what I first found striking was that there were eight general contractors present to compete for small amount of work. This was the kind of project where if the economy were even remotely healthy, the owners would be forced to offer cash incentives just to get people to show up to offer a proposal.

[Sequoyah101]

One of my many aphorisms:

IF YOU HAVE THE EMPLOYEES, WORK WILL EXPAND TO FILL THE TIME AVAILABLE.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the wages of having too much and that is waste. It is also the wages of having too much at too little or no cost.

They feel absolutely no shame. They are driven by fear of not having a job because they have no other marketable skill.

“This felt more like a job-walk for a large public works project, as there were no fewer than three building officials present at the meeting for this one tiny project. There may have been a fourth, but I’m not 100% positive. Believe me: there is no reason why one person couldn’t have handled this job-walk. There is no way permit fees alone could cover this level of involvement on the part of city employees.”

[MasterGunner01]

My buddy lives in Beloit, WI. The city fathers have decided that welfare is the city's growth area and have actively driven businesses (that the city desperately needs) to nearby Janesville.

Across the street from him are four Section 8 dwellings. Previous to rehab, the city came in ever two years and completely replaced all the furnishings and painted the insides (and made any repairs).

Several years ago, the city decided on a major rehab to all four properties to the tune of $100,000 each and added garages! These rehabbed buildings look very nice, but they're still soaking up tax monies because the residents keep destroying them from the inside out. It does keep city workers and contractors busy. A disgusting waste of tax dollars by the local politicians.

[House Atreides]

And an additional very disgusting thing is that this “zero interest”, “zero payment” loan that doesn’t need to be repaid until the lapse of 30 years will be counted as an “asset” for every single one of those 30 years—”offsetting” debt from an accounting perspective. And this worthless 30 year loan will never be repaid as EVERYONE KNOWS. Just another way that government disguises how much of our money it is truly throwing away and masking the true depth of its (our) debt.

[Vaduz]

Democrat-controlled legislature.Proof that California voters are idiots that love to repeat their stupidity.

[blueunicorn6]

How dare they try to put a price on buying Democrat votes, er, I mean, helping people?

American Soldiers, getting ready to go off to war in Iraq and risk their lives for us, were housed in condemned barracks at Ft. Benning while people were trashing their free houses in California? What’s wrong with this picture?

[longtermmemmory]

federal money for

ZERO down

ZERO per month

for thirty YEARS?

that is INSANE!!!!

[hedgetrimmer]

This is the post cold war communist agenda that both parties seem to espouse— free housing for the ‘masses’ including and especially illegal immigrants— and antagonistic management of our military to discredit, disarm and discourage them. Bush Clinton Bush II Obama, all have had a hand in this.

When Gobachev allowed the soviet union to fall, and came to California to set up housekeeping in a taxpayer subsidized ‘villa’ on the Presdio, he held a series of conferences attended by democrat and republican alike, including Newt Gringrich, democrat Alan Cranston among others.

To promote disarmament, Gorbachev advocates shutting down of military bases and giving them over to globalist institutions, such as his green cross international. The negelect of the military is vital to his idea of disarmament.

Giving away housing at taxpayer expense, another communist means to an end, promoted by Gorbachev, the state of the world conferences, and many many globalist meetings including the treasonous attendance of the G8 summits.

Its not ‘dumb’ politicians who aren’t paying attention. Its an agenda, its being acted out everywhere in this country, and people need to sit up and notice its COMMUNISM done up western style and nearly all of the people who are getting elected to high level office today are chosen because they will support COMMUNISM.

We are fighting COMMUNISM. The world as we knew it is dead.