Hike income tax to fund essentials (Indiana)

Indianapolis Star ^ | April 6, 2003

[sarcasm]

Our position is: Lawmakers should moderately increase the income tax to provide for Hoosiers' health and educational needs.

State legislators are about to saddle Indiana with a two-year budget that won't meet essential needs.

Schools across the state are bracing for larger class sizes and deep cuts in programs. Indianapolis Public Schools is ready to eliminate 60 teaching positions. The superintendent in Warren Township has sent a letter to parents warning that electives such as art and foreign languages could disappear next year. The Perry Township School Board already has voted to kill the district's technology education program.

[sarcasm]

Its economy, built on a shrinking base of manufacturing jobs, is fundamentally unsound. As a result, state revenues continue to fall far below projections.

[xrp]

If Indiana is like most states in the country, its budget from 1990-current doubled or more whereas the population of the state increased only 10-15%, if that. Say the budget in 1990 was $1 billion and now it is $2 billion. Go back and examine the 1990 budget, use that as a baseline and increase the budget to $1.15 billion. There's $850 million in savings and they've just increased the budget along the % that the population of the state increased.

It's time that the American people are told that the state is not responsible for playing nanny.

[Glenn]

For a few dollars a month, in the form of an income tax increase, Hoosiers can help their neighbors with two basics of life -- a good education and necessary health care.

Sounds like a "Feed the Children" advertisement.

They are probably pissing away hundreds of millions on stupid education initiatives that could be replaced with the 3 R's and #2 pencils.

Governments have turned into such overwhelming mouths to feed.

[galt-jw]

Indiana schools, at least in much of the area i am in, are chock full of satellite dishes, production facitlies, and look more like a community college. The graduates are dumb, cannot spell, have no ability to think on their own.

The problem is this: too much money is given to schools. I am dead serious. Look at private schools, look at home schools. Way superior performance. A fraction of the money.

Yet, "educators" fail to see the lack of causation, or the inversion, between spending and performance. If anything, spending past a minimal point is irrelevant to performance.

[HankReardon]

During economically prosperopus years, there was a revenue surplus at all levels of government. Since there was no tax cuts then, this surplus was used to expand the respected governments. Now that revenues are lessened these expanded governments must be paid for so they want to raise taxes. For many, government is their business and they achieve "success" when they are able to expand their business. They'll attempt to do this under any pretense, for the children, for health care..... Cut government!

[68skylark]

The Indianapolis Star used to have a good, conservative voice -- a voice of sanity in my opinion.

But now it looks like they've given up on all that. Now they just want us to accept the old, failed strategies of the past -- let's tax our way to prosperity!

[Roy Tucker]

No one likes a tax increase. It should be a last step on the path to sound fiscal management.

How about cutting expenditures? States should only offer enough services for which the people are willing to be taxed.

Experience shows that legislators from both parties spend everything they are given...and then some.

[FierceDraka]

Damn you to hell, Gannett-owned Indianapolis Star!

I used to read the Star as a daily subscriber because it was a relatively conservative paper. But once the leftist FILTH at Gannett bought it from the Pulliam family, it's dropped its traditional conservative stance, and has jumped on the tax-and-spend communist bandwagon.

We need to get out and make sure that O'Bannon and Bayh get soundly trounced in the next elections, and replace that horrible RINO Lugar with a REAL Republican.

"Social services" my butt! The only reason they're shelling out more of our hard-earned cash to welfare parasites is because of Clinton shipping thousands and thousands of Mexicans here in order to offset the traditional Republican dominance in state elections.

It's time for us to start picketing the State House in Indy, and let them know that we're not going to take this fleecing lying down.

[sausageseller]

I live in Indiana. My Daughter is a junior. 1360 on the SAT, yet 15th in her class. Your post should have read " some" graduate!

[B4Ranch]

ILLEGAL POEM

I come for visit, get treated regal,
So I stay, who care I illegal?

I cross ocean, poor and broke,
Take bus, see employment folk.

Nice man treat me good in there,
Say I need to see welfare.

Welfare say, "You come no more,
We send cash right to your door."

Welfare checks, they make you wealthy,
Medicaid it keep you healthy!

By and by, I got plenty money,
Thanks to you, American dummy.

Write to friends in motherland,
Tell them come as fast as you can.

Come in open border and by Ford trucks,
I buy big house with welfare bucks.

They come here, we live together,
More welfare checks, it gets better!

Fourteen families they moving in,
But neighbor's patience wearing thin.

Finally, white guy moves away,
Now I buy his house, and then I say,

"Find more aliens for house to rent."
And in the yard I put a tent.

Send for family (they just trash),
But they, too, draw the welfare cash!

Everything is very good,
And soon we own the neighborhood.

We have hobby--it's called breeding,
Welfare pay for baby feeding.

Kids need dentist? Wife need pills?
We get free! We got no bills!

American crazy! He pay all year,
To keep welfare running here.

We think America darn good place!
Too darn good for the white man race.

If they no like us, they can go,
Got lots of room in Mexico.

[BenLurkin]

"Hike income tax to fund essentials" ????

No, cut un-essentials to fund essentials!

Why is that so hard to understand? That they admit there are 'essentials" means they know there are unessentials.