Taxes

After seeing the lame duck session in Washington and seeing what is going on in a similar session in Springfield I am coming to a realization we should treat lame ducks like lame horses

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/01/07/income-tax-hike-a-step-closer/

http://pointsandfigures.com/2011/01/06/cut-spending-in-illinois-nah-we-will-just-raise-your-taxes-but-you-wont-know-it/

http://backyardconservative.blogspot.com/2011/01/illinois-moves-to-tax-online-purchases.html

Income tax up on individuals and businesses, e-commerce taxed and amazon affiliates shut down

Sorry for the hiatus, combination of too much holiday fun and technical issues, hard to blog from a smart phone with my stubby fingers.

(Before September) I was the exact kind of citizen a state wants.  I worked at a great job that paid me well, I owned property and paid my taxes on time.  I supported local businesses that serve whiskey and red meat.  I contributed exponentially more to the city and state than I consumed in terms of resources and services.  It was not an onerous burden, the state income tax was low and while I was offended by the city sales tax hike, it just led me to moving my purchases online, and got me to buy some AMZN stock because it I didn't think that I would be the only one, thanks Stroger!  The point is that the system depends on people like me to subsidize the out of control spending that our state and nation inevitably pursue.  They raise taxes and try and bleed the producers and job creators banking on the fact that they will continue to bear the burden and not either Go Galt or vote with their feet.

One of the great things about our political system, at least when the 10th Amendment still meant something, is it makes the states laboratories of democracy.  Proving grounds for ideas that provide models to emulate or shun.  Voters could look at our neighbors in Indiana with Mitch Daniels, an archetype on how to start to turn around and revitalize a fiscal basket case with smaller government and common sense or they could join in my unabashed man crush on Chris Christie for speaking to voters like adults about the realities of budgets and living within our means as individuals and governments, but instead Illinois decided to stay the course and elect Quinn, casting our lot in with California and New York in the "2011 Race to See Which State Can Get Turned Down For a Federal Bailout First."

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/01/opinion/oe-voegli1

A more coherent comparison on the views of states, using TX and CA as examples

The bottom line is that Illinois is scrambling to raise money by raising taxes on everyone as fast as they can.  The politicians have been making promises and need to pay for them and they don't know how and think a tax increase on earners and producers will get them there.  What does Illinois have that makes it indispensable? What is there to stop me from shifting my job search to Texas?  Nevada?  Florida?  Why does Illinois think that people and business will stay as they get squeezed to pay for the excess of mouth breathers in Springfield?  California has tourism, the best climate in the country with beach, mountains, wine, massive oil deposits and some of the most fertile farmland in the world (currently lying fallow because of the Delta Smelt but that is another conversation).  Illinois has Chicago, which is amazing in the summer but anyone who tells you the winters don't bother them is lying to your face, oh yes, also, Rockford, Stared Rock and corn.  What are they betting on?  Personal connections?  Inertia?  It is something that is a huge factor in my thoughts about my next job.  Sure my family is around, but the baby brother is already off at school, forgotten middle child will probably be living in a commune somewhere between taking his actuarial exams, the favorite is already exploring other options at her job and the parents will probably be snowbirds by next year.  I have a ton of great friends but to be honest I would like to get away from them for a while to dry out.  I have nothing tying me down here that I cannot visit for a couple weeks every summer for the price of a Southwest ticket.

This brings me to my last point, which my old boss made all the time.  The people that they are trying to squeeze and that they depend on the most to fund their progressive schemes, machinations and wealth redistribution fantasies are the ones who are able to do something about it and leave.  The more secure you are financially and the better job you have, the less tied you are to one spot.  These are smart people who are capable of high level cost benefit analytics and can decide when it is no longer in their self interest to subject themselves to the class warfare and selective economic attacks just for working hard and being successful.

My New Year's Resolution is to blog more, we will see how I keep up with it