Like I said in #72, the feds take their thick percentage off the top. (This is sounding more and more like STAR TREK “A Piece of the Action”.)
So the feds take 90% and return 110% to states with a 50% tax rate on the people. Big boon to that state.
The feds take 90% and return 40% to a state that taxes the people 10%. Big sucking sound. And that state has to work on 1% that it kept plus 4% that comes back (including direct payment to individuals.) That state is going to have to raise taxes $10 to keep $1 and play ball. Maybe the feds give them 110% when their taxes are in line.
When you say “the Feds” will do this and the “the Feds” will do that, we should come to an agreement that “the Feds” are members of Congress with cushy jobs that have to stand for re-election. And the this and that in percentages that you’re saying these officeholders will send to the States in the form of taxes and benefits, we should come to an agreement that these are specific public bills that must be voted on by the members. “The feds” don’t just return “40%” to some of the States. Whatever the members will return to a State in the way of pork has to take the form of a pork bill.
Assume you are a normal US Senator hoping for re-election to your cushy, prestigious seat in Washington. It’s budget proposal time and being the crafty politician you are, you have managed to tuck a sweet piece of pork into the bill for your State. Boy, will you ever be popular for bringing home the bacon that funds the $200 million dollar bridge to nowhere in your State. It’s even going to be named after you.
But a week before you vote on the bill, every major newspaper in your State runs the splash headline that the bill is going to cost your State billions of dollars to fund the collective pork of all the other States - in exchange for a $200 million dollar bridge. The Governor calls you personally and tells you this is a major detriment for the State. He calmly explains that he and the entire State legislature plus will be endorsing your election challenger if you vote yes on the bill.
So, UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide, please answer the simple question: which way would you vote?
UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide:
Let’s face it. You can’t answer that last question in post #79. Because the answer TOTALLY COLLAPSES your argument.
The only plausible answer is that as a sitting US Senator hoping for re-election that there is no way in hell you’re going to vote for a bill that demonstrably harms the financially interests of your State. You wouldn’t even survive the primary.
And you’ll not that I intentionally did not name the State you hypothetically represent in this scenario. – Because it doesn’t matter. This scenario would play out identically in every State where it is announced by the local press and the Governor that the bill was a billion dollar detriment to the State.
This makes it clear that under the proposed 28th Amendment, the members of Congress (“the Feds” as you term them) will have ZERO political will to pass pork laden bills.