[TheGrimReaper]

I know the only logical thing to do right now is to raise taxes. The facts are clear and incontrovertible

Looks like the use of peyote is still prevalent in AZ.

[Nat Turner]

RINOS never learn.....

I will go along with this tax hike - if he can prove one time that you can tax your way to prosperity

[ppaul]

Imbecile.

[Jim Robinson]

Cut the taxes. Cut the government spending. Grow the economy. It's the only way.

[xJones]

And, yes, I'm willing to pay more taxes to make that happen.

Dan Schweiker is chairman and CEO of Scottsdale-based China Mist Tea Co.

Wonderful! He can just donate the government his #$%@@ tea company. Those of us enjoying the 38% and higher bracket spend our time looking for tax BREAKS. Sheesh, the Arizonan Republicans need to find an industrial-sized butterfly net for that loon.

Willie, I didn't think you'd want to miss this, FRiend.

[tomahawk]

So what's stopping this idiot from mailing in more taxes from himself? Nothing. He wants to steal from others. POS.

[JCG]

Dan Schweiker is chairman and CEO of Scottsdale-based China Mist Tea Co.

I think Schweiker's been smoking some of that China Mist.

America's Fifth Column ... watch Steve Emerson/PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
New Link: Download 8 Mb zip file here (60 minute video)

Who is Steve Emerson?

[Libertina]

"As a Republican, I ..." STINK!

[HighWheeler]

"If we do the opposite - cut services and take tax dollars out of the economy - private businesses will ultimately feel the pinch."

I agree, nothing worse than a company feeling the pinch of having too much money to pay the employees, the creditors, and cutting the price of goods and services.

[tacticalogic]

One of the reasons the rates are so high is that there are too few people paying them.

We fought one war over taxation without representation. We may have to fight another one over representation without taxation.

[lelio]

I have yet to see a business that shrank itself to greatness. That applies to government as well.
This pragmatic Republican should think of what the duty of government is and then reduce it to that, and do those few tasks well.

Special tax treatment for select goods narrows the tax base, distorts consumer behavior and is just plain unfair for industries that haven't (yet) gotten some special exemption.
100% on target. The tax code is used to benefit political donors, or used to punish those that don't play along.

My business will suffer if I can't find qualified employees
That could be true, but I would like to see some specifics on this. Is he having trouble hiring now? Why is that? It looks like he runs China Mist Tea.

[MarketR]

Our economy needs the stimulus of tax dollars to keep money flowing in the economy.

Here is the key statement...This clown is a moron!

"The stimulus of tax dollars"? Taxes remove dollars from the economy. Sheesh!

Another socialist seeking a party...try the Democrat party. They have the same misguided thought processes as you do.

(not you..hsmomx3)

[B. Rabbit]

Right, so everytime the economy is bad, increase taxes and the economy becomes good again? Let's just jack up taxes to 100% then, boy, the money would be flowing like crazy, the economy would be out of this world.

Small businesses would feel no pinch at all if we would only have full income taxation! What a lunatic.

[John Jorsett]

When the state economy was strong, did we do the prudent thing and put money aside for a "rainy day"? No, we reduced our "rainy day" fund

That's the smartest thing you could do. As we've learned in California, the legislature finds no shortage of "rainy days" when "rainy day" funds are sitting there for the taking. They've even been raiding our trust funds for highways, sewers, and the like, just because no pot of money is safe when the politicians are out to buy some votes or throw some cash toward their pet causes.

[Jhoffa_]

As a pragmatic Republican, I know the only logical thing to do right now is to raise taxes. The facts are clear and incontrovertible:

• Cutting basic government services is bad for business. Eliminating state jobs and state spending threatens our economic recovery. Our economy needs the stimulus of tax dollars to keep money flowing in the economy.

If I buy something at an Arizona store, the retailer pays sales taxes to Arizona. If I buy that exact same item over the Internet, the e-tailer may or may not collect and submit state sales taxes. That's not fair to our local merchants to the tune of almost $140 million per year.

Bastard.

This is a fine example of a "me, me, me, fiscal" conservative" I hate these guy's.

All he's worried about is himself and his money. If he thinks raising taxes will somehow help his business, he's all for it. No principle, no concern for his fellow man, just "me, me, me" raise taxes, do anything just help me uncle state gov!

You moron, did it ever occur to you that online shoppers have to pay shipping charges that retail shoppers do not? They also have to wait to receive their purchases and they always run the risk of them being lost or of being defrauded.. plus, potential credit card interest. that ought to be worth something.

Look at sales taxes. I don't know what they are in AZ, but let's assume a nice round 5%. Now a purchase of 100.00 (higher than the average retail ticket I bet) would yield the state five bucks. In all likelihood the shipping on that same purchase would meet or exceed $5.00, plus there's all the other inconveniences I mentioned.

This is a brick and mortar guy who can't compete and wants uber-gov to come to the rescue and bail his butt out at the expense of both taxpayers and newer, more flexible entrepreneurs.

A worthless rino, pig begging the government to raise taxes.

[FreedomCalls]

It sounds like Arizona needs to set up a "Tax Me More Fund."

[droberts]

Why should we expect a 1930s tax code to be effective in 2003.

Right, so get rid of it.

[Lancey Howard]

The author, Dan Schweiker, is a liar and a scumbag.

[Lancey Howard]

Here is the statement which proves that the author, Dan Schweiker, is a liar and a scumbag:

"As a Republican, I know that we need to invest in Arizona to make it a state worthy of all the great people who live here. And, yes, I'm willing to pay more taxes to make that happen."

See, in true Shakespearean "thou doth protesteth too much" fashion, Schweiker feels it necessary to emphasize at the beginning and at the end of his screed that he is a Republican. This gives his claptrap credibility, you see. He may be registered Republican, but he is indeed a stinking, scumbag Democrat, no question. He's a liar.

Then, when he says, "yes, I'm willing to pay more taxes", what he really means is that he is willing to have everybody else pay more taxes. A true liberal Democrat in every sense of the word.

Hey, Dan - - go ahead and write a big fat check to the Arizona state treasury if that taps your toe. But I bet there's a whole lot of people who don't appreciate you wanting to give away their money.
You filthy little puke.

[Bobby777]

ridiculous ... out of state purchases (for the most part) have never had sales tax for decades ... until some greedy politician looks at it as a way to collect revenue (like the many ways city governemts collect revenue ... no need to mention the many ways) ...

local merchants can sell out of state too on the internet ... nobody is stopping them ...