Consult my tagline...
Posted on 09/10/2005 9:30:33 AM PDT by raccoonradio
Do you know the real reason the Legislature doesn't give a damn how much you're paying for gasoline?
It's because they don't pay for their own gasoline. You do.
The solons are the only people in Massachusetts who get paid for driving to work, and I use that word advisedly, since their ``work'' mainly consists of voting the way they're told to, not by their constituents, but by the leadership.
Last week the Republicans in the House proposed a three-month suspension of the 21-cent-a-gallon state tax on gasoline. It was quickly shot down by the fat-cat Democratic leadership.
``It doesn't make fiscal sense for me to do that,'' said Senate President Bob Travaglini (D-East Boston). ``We shouldn't be involving ourselves in reactionary types of responses.''
Easy for Trav to say. He drives a leased Cadillac Escalade SUV – and he doesn't even pay for it. His campaign committee – i.e., money given to him by lobbyists – picks up the tab, and it's a hefty one at that.
Last Nov. 30, according to his campaign-finance report, he paid $839. That appears to be the cost of the monthly lease.
``He doesn't charge his own personal gas to the campaign charge card,'' his spokeswoman said yesterday. ``He pays for his own gas, his own tolls, and he doesn't take the per diem.'' No, just the Escalade.
In case you didn't know, every one of the 200 solons is entitled to collect a certain amount for showing up for work every day. And by the way, it's the honor system. If you say you were there, you get the ``per diem.'' After being doubled (yes, doubled) in 2000, the per diems now range from $10 for those reps who live close to the State House to $90 for most of the solons from Berkshire County.
So far this year, with more than three months to go, we have paid the legislators $487,968.98 in per diems.
It's free-bleeping-money. You're getting killed by high gas prices and Rep. Dan Boseley of North Adams already has grabbed $10,710 so far this year, for 119 days, on top of his salary, not to mention the federal income tax write-off for any legislators who live more than 50 miles from the State House.
It's dangerous to give these hacks this kind of money. They are not responsible adults.
Rep. Benjamin Swan of Springfield, who is known to, ahem, fall behind on his own city property taxes, manages to collect right on time – $4,860 so far in 2005. Then there's Rep. Ellen Story of Amherst – didn't her husband used to be on the UMass payroll for more than $100 grand a year?
So far this year she's scooped $6,210. Those tax-and-spend Amherst liberals love chowing down at the trough – the senator from Amherst, Stanley Rosenberg, is setting the pace. So far he's claimed 103 days at $60 a day. That adds up to $6,180 so far this year.
But no 21-cent-a-gallon gas tax suspension for you, pal. I'm telling ya, Stanley needs the dough. He only owns more than $1,000 worth of 22 different stocks, including American Express, Boeing, Citibank, Disney, Keyspan, Lucent, Merck, Microsoft, Proctor & Gamble and UPS. You buy Sen. Rosenberg's gas. And you can't afford lunch.
``It has more to do,'' says Speaker DiMasi of the squeeze at the pumps, ``with the federal government than us.''
So how come the fed gas tax is ``only'' 18.4 cents per gallon, and we're getting clubbed for an additional 21 cents by the hacks?
Did someone say, Let them eat cake? Just don't spill any crumbs in Trav's Escalade.
"...Bread? Let them eat cake."
I am absolutely shocked that the Republicans aren't making elimination of gas taxes an issue nationally.
"I am absolutely shocked that the Republicans aren't making elimination of gas taxes an issue nationally"
There is NO tax that a politician does not like. ANY politician.
Just like the oligarchy federal judiciary system where we are now ruled by communist/socialist law by judicial FIAT.
The Republican part can eliminate it (so can the President by EO) in one day!
Why don't they? Because they see its power .. and THEY LIKE IT!
They're simply trying to get their guys in so they can usurp the powers from the Constitution and run their own little fiefdoms
If only more people knew or cared about this stuff the whole country would be in a rage. This kind of crap is sickening beyond belief and a good reason to scrap the whole socialistic system that is becoming this country, and start again from the beginning adhering to the Constitution.
Consult my tagline...
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