BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest

Subject: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 08:09 AM

This just in from today's NY Times:

A Texas Bid to Shift School Finances to 'Sin Taxes'
By DAVID CAY JOHNSTON

Published: April 21, 2004


USTIN, Tex., April 20 — How much money Texas spends to teach children reading, writing and arithmetic may soon depend in part on how successful women like Vanity, Destiny and Rio of the Yellow Rose, a topless bar in this state capital, are in attracting customers.

Gov. Rick Perry called the Legislature into special session Tuesday to change the way public education is financed in Texas. He wants to give billions of dollars in property tax reductions to the most affluent homeowners while making up part of the revenue loss through a vast expansion of legal gambling, increasing cigarette taxes by $1 a pack, raising taxes on alcoholic drinks and collecting a tax of at least $5 each time a patron enters a topless bar.

The governor's plan faces an uncertain future, but it seems likely that Texas will adopt at least some of his "sin tax" proposals. Mr. Perry is a Republican, and Republicans have comfortable majorities in both houses of the Legislature.

The idea that the education of future generations should depend on increasing sin taxes is not unique to Texas. Across the country, politicians, eager to avoid anything that looks like a tax increase, are turning to levies on what Governor Perry calls "unhealthy behaviors" to finance education.

----------------

Of course, what this idea doesn't take into account is how unhealthy the US public education is for children and adults alike.

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Amos
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 03:26 PM

Who else would dream up using tits to finance education? Dear Lord, spare us.

It was also in Texas not too far back that a woman was prosecuted for holding house-parties to sell vibrators to housewives.

The depths of stupidity are beyond normal ken; sometimes, beyond all imagining!

A

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 03:27 PM

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Peace
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 03:35 PM

Are they calling the program 'Tits for Tots'?

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Little Hawk
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 03:36 PM

This is SOOOOOOO appropriate! Those primarily in charge of financing society's more notable sins in the first place get to acquire more money through taxing the very same sinful activities they have promoted all their lives, thus using existing sin to finance further sin!!! This is brilliant. A closed loop. A leech that feeds on its own unholy blood. I love it. Go, Texas!

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Peace
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 04:38 PM

Of course, then the education comes to depend on the 'avails' of sin, and then sin becomes necessary to fund education. We have a ground-floor opportunity here. Maybe in the sign business: This whorehouse paid $12,895 dollars in sin tax last year. Thank all those fu#kers out there for their contribution.

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: GUEST,robomatic
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 04:41 PM

I hope they're able to fit Darwin in.

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 04:59 PM

Rick Perry has great hair. I think that's why he was elected. He's as stupid as a rock when it comes to government.

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Shanghaiceltic
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 05:33 PM

Interesting, does this mean that the libraries and the school books will be carrying *ahem* pictures and adverts from their sponsors?

If that is the case then maybe their will be an increase in the number and quality of literate and numerate boys. Then their will be a backlash from the girls as they will want equal treatment and want adverts and pictures of the male sponsors........

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: GUEST,Lyle
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 05:39 PM

I bet if USA ever got a President from Texas, the same stupid stuff would go on at the national level.

Ohhh - wait a minute...

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Strick
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 05:57 PM

Wait, what reduction in property taxes? We're trying to stop funding education with property taxes because it creates enormous inequities in education funding, but nobody gave me any cut in property taxes yet.

I assume "billions of dollars in property tax reductions to the most affluent homeowners" just means we're going to do away with school district property taxes and do something else to fund education. The system we tried to use for court mandated equalization didn't work, so we've got to try something else.

Didn't most states introduce the lotto claiming it was going to fund education (but it didn't)? "The idea that the education of future generations should depend on increasing sin taxes is not unique to Texas. Across the country, politicians, eager to avoid anything that looks like a tax increase, are turning to levies on what Governor Perry calls 'unhealthy behaviors' to finance education." Yeah, we're unique.

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 10:13 PM

What? A $5.00 tax to go into a titty bar and no charge for going into a karaoke bar? There is no justice!

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Strick
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 10:15 PM

Going into a karaoke bar is punishment enough by itself.

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 10:18 PM

From the Houston Chronicle: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/robison/2497530

April 11, 2004, 12:26AM



Perry's love-hate affair with sin taxes


By CLAY ROBISON
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
In may be naughty, but state government, in its own ambivalent way, couldn't live without it.

In unveiling a new school revenue plan heavy on so-called "sin" taxes, Gov. Rick Perry became the latest in a long line of Texas leaders indulging in a love-hate relationship with their constituents' vices.

On the one hand, they feign disapproval of human weakness with calls for higher taxes on cigarettes and even, in Perry's case, an admissions tax on patrons of adult nightclubs. But if their figures (no pun intended) are going to balance, leaders have to hope that a large number of Texans keep puffing and the tassels keep twirling.

Perry says he is targeting people's "unhealthy behaviors." In truth, however, he actually is promoting unhealthy behavior with another part of his revenue package, which calls for an expansion of state-sanctioned gambling. It would put video lottery terminals, which are similar to slot machines, at racetracks and on Indian reservations, with the state getting a share of the action.

The governor could argue that voters would have the final say on his gambling proposal, because it would require a constitutional amendment.

(A similar argument also could be made about a state income tax, because an income tax couldn't go into effect without voter approval either. And it would raise more money for education than a mountain of sin taxes. But from the viewpoint of Perry and most legislators, it would be far too big an evil.)

Revenue from Texans' "unhealthy behaviors" accounts for a relatively small slice of the state's budget, but it is significant nevertheless. Taxes on tobacco and alcohol and state proceeds from the lottery total about 7 percent of Texas' general revenue.

Perry didn't propose higher alcohol taxes, but beer and liquor lobbyists are ducking for cover anyway. If there is a special session on school finance this spring -- and Perry seems intent on calling one -- some lawmakers inevitably will toss booze into the mix.

Taxes on cigarettes and alcohol have been periodically increased over the years, but the state mostly avoided the gambling business until 1986, when the oil bust forced the Legislature to raise taxes and cut spending during an election-year special session.

[snip]

The only obvious opposition is from the tobacco industry and from smokers. Most Texans don't smoke, and cigarette makers are a politically acceptable target. The proposal also has strong support from health care advocates.

The most provocative (and chuckle-inducing) idea is the governor's proposed $5 admissions tax on customers at adult entertainment clubs. Club owners already are complaining that they are being picked on unfairly. (Get in line, fellas.)

One Austin lobbyist suggested that owners instead should step forward, say they are willing to help raise money for education and, in return, negotiate to get the Legislature's regulatory hands off their backs.

The clubs could even stage "back-to-school" nights -- if such events didn't prove too sinful for the governor.

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 10:51 PM

Sin City
(Texas Remix)
And a tip of the cowboy hat to Steve Van Zandt

Ahh.. Sin City
Sin City
Ed-u-ca-tion
Educate me!


We're rockers and rappers united and strong
We're here to talk about sin taxes
we don't like what's going on (tell it)
It's time for some justice it's time for the truth (speak it)
We've realized there's only one thing we can do
We gotta say
I / I
I / I
I / I
Ain't gonna pay Sin City
Oh, no no no no

I / I
I / I
Oh I / I
I ain't gonna pay Sin City

Everybody say
I / I
I / I
I / I
Ain't gonna pay Sin City


Phonic-ation and multiplication revenues
From Austin's adult entertainment revues
Twirlin' tassles and rollin' dice were once taboo
But now the legislature and the governor
well they just think they're really cool
We're gonna say
I / I
I / I
I / I
Ain't gonna pay Sin City

We're gonna say
I / I
I / I
I / I
Ain't gonna pay Sin City

Our government tells us we're doing all we can
That's why sin taxes are Rick Perry's new plan
For saving our failing schools has put him on the spot
So he'll save us with the ponies and exotic dancers named Dot
We're gonna say
I / I
I / I
I / I
Ain't gonna pay Sin City

I ain't gonna pay no no
I / I
I / I
I / I
Ain't gonna pay Sin City

Don't wanna pay, don't wanna pay, don't wanna pay

It's time to accept our responsibility
Education is a privilege nobody rides for free
Look around the world baby sin cannot be denied
Can somebody tell me why we ain't taxed this supply side?

Will someone tell me now?

I / I
I / I
I / I
Ain't gonna pay Sin City

Subject: RE: BS: American Plutocracy at it's Finest
From: el ted
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 10:29 AM

Boring.