Posted on 05/18/2006 6:52:36 PM PDT by Dubya
Well, except for Reagan of course.
He's cute but this bill he just signed ain't.
~mark~ to follow discussion.
I heard about a week and a half ago on a talf radio station in Houston the we can expect Strayhorn to run on a lower tax, cut spending and enforce the boarders platform. 11-06 will be very interesting.
Let's start thinking out of the box here like conservatives. I think a commission comprised of retired CPAs and business executives would be willing to complete non-binding audits and efficiency reviews of school districts free of charge (travel expenses reimbursed) if Gov. Perry showed great leadership and encouraged them to serve.
"And an increase in the sales tax might work, but estimates I saw indicated it would have to go up a full percent. <snip> How is that any different from passing on a business franchise tax to consumers?"
I think many fiscal conservatives who prefer sales tax for school funding view it as a vastly more broadly applied, equitable measure that is impartially set against all taxpayers. The sad truth about HB3 is it specifically targets businesses in the small to medium-sized category that will be hit very hard. These are some of the most productive job creators in the Texas economy. Conservatives should never be the ones perceived to be punishing this group. HB3 is actually drawing in far fewer businesses to shoulder the load than represented by the Gov. and that is punitive.
Furthermore, there is great suspicion among conservatives that the HB3 business tax is vulnerable to tinkering and likely to be customized to the benefit of select groups with deep pockets and the most influential lobbyists. The Democrats will beat us about the head and shoulders when (not if) that happens, and deservedly so.
Since the education establishment would scream about state intrusion over such a suggestion--as would their sycophants in the Democrat party--I'd be all for this, but after the election.
Strayhorn's full of it. She's going to run on "I'll cut taxes less, and find some spending cuts"?
Nobody will believe her. The cuts in the last legislative session were brutal, equaling nearly 2 or 3 billion dollars. What else is she going to cut?
Keep school funding local. Keep the State and Federal meddling hands out of it. Don't like your school's level of funding - move.
The judiciary has stampeded the RINO legislature into bad law over an artificial deadline, which we will end up paying through the nose for a long time.
Meanwhile the Texas economy is going to start looking a lot like California - a paradise for the rich and entitled class "poor" with a lot of pain for the middle class.
My school district did the same. Constructed a 21 million dollar stadium including large screen instant replay on LCD that would rival professional sports. Absolutely amazing considering school districts financial whining.
http://www.schooldesigns.com/ResultsDetail.asp?id=1727
There's more than one layer to the new tax, too. I'm not a lawyer, but, as I understand it (admittedly, some of this is from the perspective of the Medical Association and Academy of Family Physcians lobbyists I've talked to):
Those docs who would never take Medicaid or Medicare will find themselves suddenly begging for this tax break.
Finally, the State Legislature has acknowledged that we lose money on Medicaid and Medicare patients.
Big corporations are going to have much greater incentive to move their corporate headquarters to Texas.
All corporations, Professional Associations, LLP's, and all those other business models that enjoy some "limited liability" from the State will have added incentive to provide health insurance and other benefits for their employees, while not having any sort of mandate.
Professional Associations, which are corporations for sole proprieters such as docs, will have better tax relief for health insurance, retirement, etc.
Survey USA currently has Rick Perry's approval ratings at:
40% Like
54% Dislike
Perry is lucky that the opposition against him so divided.
True but my short post did not detail the structure. Every Limited partnership has a general partner usually a corporation with minimal ownership.
Homeowners are not taxed a 95% of value. Much less
I beg to differ. Consider yourself lucky if you get away with less than 95% of true value. Harris County has modernized the entire appraisal process. You would be amazed when protesting the value the information they acquired ie: satellite images and voice recording.
How old is that survey? Getting this through the legislature is going to help Perry.
The survey was released yesterday.
http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/50StateGov060518State.htm
You have no solutions to the Texas school funding plan. You oppose Perry because of the Trans Texas Corridor, and you're piggy-backing on that.
Did you know that the Texas Supreme Court put a June 1 deadline on the state to come up with a constitutional school funding plan, or the Supremes would do it themselves?
You're just as clueless as the person you'll likely vote for, which would be any of the other three candidates for governor.
Cowardice is not a political virtue, Bobby. You can't do anything but gripe.
>>>>"Perry is lucky that the opposition against him so divided'<<<<
Hair Club for Men is his only opposition.
TT
After reading that I broke out with hives, I itch everywhere.
TT
I've reported quite a few businesses to www.wehirealiens.com.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.