Illinois Stuck on Stupid

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110112/NEWS02/110119950/66-tax-hike-passes-goes-to-governor-for-signature#axzz1AqK7mizv

Money Quote:
"We're saying to the people of Illinois, 'For eight years we've overspent, now we're going to make it your problem,'" said Rep. Roger Eddy. "We're making up for our mistakes on your back."



Well done Illinois, welcome to the fiscal death spiral.  Everyone knows when you are in financial trouble you follow the tried and tested method of taxing and spending your way into prosperity.  In no way is that crazy and there is absolutely not a myriad of examples of the end game of this strategy.

I touched on this in the previous post on the topic but why on Earth would anyone start a new business in Illinois right now?  Corporate and private income taxes skyrocketing while E-commerce taxes takes the state out of play for one of the easiest arenas for new businesses.  I am the tax payer they want, or will be when I start working again and I am having a really hard time justifying staying in the state where I have spent the majority of my life. This situation is only going to get worse, this, like every other tax increase, will not bring in the revenue it is projected to bring in and the fiscal insanity of the public sector salaries, benefits and pensions are not being addressed by anyone (except Rahmbo, Christ, good for him) so they are just going to need more money down the road which will lead to more punitive tax hikes and so on and so forth.

This brings me to my larger point.  It is in vogue to call yourself fiscally conservative and socially liberal, or, even better, libertarian.  People love to straddle the line and appear to be cultured and the best of both worlds.  We saw this most prominently in the 110th Congress with the "Blue Dog Democrats."  Allegedly conservative on issues such as Abortion, Gun Control and spending, these Democrats rode the wave of disgust against Bush into offices representing traditionally Republican districts.  The problem is, when push came to shove every one of these Blue Dogs toed the Pelosi line on every major vote.  From bailouts to Stimulus to Health Care they rubber stamped the most liberal pieces of legislation imaginable, which is why after the recent election cycle, Blue Dogs went from being a myth to being extinct.

This was also a factor in the Illinois gubernatorial race.  Brady lost to Quinn due largely to a nasty campaign run by Quinn over the issue of abortion.  I know multiple people that identify as fiscally conservative and socially liberal that said that Brady's pro-life views were the reason they voted for Quinn.  People can vote however they want (restricting the vote to only people who pay taxes and or have served in the military is another topic) but this seems inane to me.  Even if every Republican in the state office was on the same page as Brady (they aren't) there would be no way he could change the current laws on abortion in Illinois because the Democrats control both houses in Springfield, as evidenced by their passing these taxes hikes without a single Republican vote.

Basically people have to decide on one thing or another.  The disagreement with one candidate on one issue that the candidate, if elected, will not even be able to change from the status quo is enough reason to vote for someone who is promising to lead your states economy down the primrose path to fiscal insanity.  How is this a moderate or even handed position?

UPDATE
From Ace of Spades, read the whole thing

Oh and Illinois Democrats? Yeah, don't count all that new money just rolling in. Behold what Oregon's massive tax increase did for the state's coffers.

In 2009 the state legislature raised the tax rate to 10.8% on joint-filer income of between $250,000 and $500,000, and to 11% on income above $500,000. Only New York City’s rate is higher. Oregon’s liberal voters ratified the tax increase on individuals and another on businesses in January of this year, no doubt feeling good about their “shared sacrifice.”Congratulations. Instead of $180 million collected last year from the new tax, the state received $130 million. The Eugene Register-Guard newspaper reports that after the tax was raised “income tax and other revenue collections began plunging so steeply that any gains from the two measures seemed trivial.”
One reason revenues are so low is that about one-quarter of the rich tax filers seem to have gone missing. The state expected 38,000 Oregonians to pay the higher tax, but only 28,000 did.

Arizona Tragedy

First condolences and prayers for everyone affected by this maniac going on a rampage.  From what I have read these are the deranged acts of a sick man who never should have been allowed near firearms.  As someone who is a staunch second amendment supporter, I do not think anyone with a criminal or mental heath record should be eligible to own a firearm at all.  I think being able to protect yourself is a right, but one you can lose, like voting.


Now that I have that out of the way, the coverage that I watched made my head spin.  Compare it to the Times Square Bomber, where No Labels Bloomberg labelled the terrorist without a shred of proof as"Probably someone upset about the Health Care Bill" or the Fort Hood Massacre where Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey, Jr. said "I'm concerned that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers ... Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse."  After both of these events we were implored to not jump to conclusions, to not put two and two together about someone who murders unarmed soldiers at deployment center while screeching "Alluha Akbar."  As Obama says, let me be perfectly clear.  I agree with this sentiment, I think when something like this happens everyone should focus on those that need help before assessing blame and pointing at root causes.  The truth will come out eventually, without half baked accusations before anyone knows anything.  


My question is, why do the talking heads on the left give so much more leeway and benefit of the doubt to Islamic Terrorists and Mass Murderers than they do to conservatives?  In the immediate wake of this shooting CNN was talking about Sarah Palin's electoral map that had a target on this Arizona Congressional District, Krugman had a blog post up on NYT.com about the "climate of hate" fostered by the tea party and Sarah Palin in particular and the Daily Kos had a "Mission Accomplished Sarah Palin" headline up.  Based on what?  This guy ranted about government mind control and killing cops on his youtube page while listins Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto as some of his favorite books.  Not exactly Milton Friedman, Hayek or Thomas Paine is it?  Where was the concern about a backlash against conservatives?  About not jumping to conclusions to judge all conservatives based on the actions of a nut they had just assumed to be a tea partier?  How come no one stressed how "The Tea Party is Peace?"


Curious


UPDATE
Instapundit says it better than I did here


To be clear, if you're using this event to criticize the "rhetoric" of Mrs. Palin or others with whom you disagree, then you're either: (a) asserting a connection between the "rhetoric" and the shooting, which based on evidence to date would be what we call a vicious lie; or (b) you're not, in which case you're just seizing on a tragedy to try to score unrelated political points, which is contemptible. Which is it?


read the whole thing

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

Obama press conference

Obama:  “Tax cuts for the rich is the Republican’s holy grail”

My Holy Grail is the carpenters cup, because I don't want my face to melt off.  Fan of the Fraulein though.

Don't choose poorly 

Speaking of Indiana Jones, Obama is like an action hero when it comes to annihilating straw men.  None can stand in his path.  If only he was as harsh against, maybe, our enemies as he is to the false arguments and talking points he assigns to people who disagree with him about the role of government in life.  He called Republicans "Hostage takers" and "Bomb throwers" today.  This is after Menendez from NJ called compromising on tax matters with Republicans "Negotiating with terrorists."  I thought this was a new era of politics, no?

Just to be clear, addressing where Obama got his start in politics, in the parlor of an unrepentant murderous Weatherman terrorist and his unrepentant murderous Weatherman terrorist wife and addressing another long time friend of Obama's ties to the PLO are completely inappropriate, dog whistle, racist, fear mongering attacks.  Got that.  But if you don't think the government should raise taxes because you disagree with Keynesian economic theories due to recent empirical evidence (see Trillion dollars, Stimulus of) you can be called a hostage taker or bomb thrower by our post partisan president and a terrorist by his allies in the Senate.  Did I sum that up right?

Tax Compromise

They told me if I voted for John McCain that:
Gitmo would still be open
Patriot Act would still be chugging along
Drone kills of people who have not even been tried in military tribunals let alone Manhattan court houses would increase
We would be surging 30K troops to Afghanistan
The tax cuts that were responsible for ruining our economy would be extended

Guess they were right?

A little more snark, if the tax cuts work and the economy stars rolling again are they now going to be called the Obama Tax Cuts, which are pure and wholesome, written on rainbows with unicorn horns obviously, rather than the dastardly Bush Tax Cuts written with the blood of poor children?

As much as I love seeing the progressives howl about how they were sold out, this is only a small step in the right direction.  I hate the fact that conservatives lose the language battle so thoroughly, these were not tax cuts that we just enacted.  We prevented an increase in taxes, the mindset that whatever money that Washington let's us keep is a gift from our benevolent, enlightened leaders is the problem here, the fact that professional politicians do not see it as our money.

It is a small step, but a good one.  The 13 month extension to unemployment benefits is a joke, but Nancy Pelosi  said that is the best way to stimulate the economy.  I wish someone would explain to me why an administration being absolutely pilloried over their treatment of jobs and the economy would extend a program that dis-incentivizes people to, you know, look for work?  The deferral of the debate for another 2 years is another strategic pants pooping by the Left.  In what world is raising taxes a winning issue?  What is their argument going to be?  "OK, we cut taxes and there was gridlock in Congress so we couldn't pass any other truly destructive bills and the economy started to turn around.  Now we should raise them."  Or is it going to be "The economy was too bad two years ago to raise taxes and it has gotten worse.  Now we REALLY need to raise them."  The two year delay puts the debate squarely in the 2012 Presidential election cycle, is that really what they want the debate to be about?

Final thought on taxes, screw Warren Buffet.  Screw Hollywood liberals and everyone else clamoring for taxes to be raised.  They say that the CAN afford to pay higher taxes and it is the price of living in a functioning society.  Well listen Warren, there is a huge difference between "I CAN" and "You MUST."  Why do liberals feel the constant need to buy spiritual indulgences with other people's money.  The more aggravating part about this is the fact that Warren Buffet, as a massive player in the life insurance industry, is one of the biggest lobbyists in support of maintaining the death tax, while he sets up a massive trust with Bill Gates to get around it.  Taxes are for the little people, right Warren?

I think people should practice what they preach, so here is a little incentive to all the bleeding heart liberals out there.  Looking at you Krugman with your unhinged rants about how the stimulus was too small, John Kerry with your yacht, Claire MCCaskill with whatever it is you are talking about here, or any of the "tax me more" Bill Gates and Warren Buffet crew.  Here is the address to send donations to the government:

Gifts to the United States
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Credit Accounting Branch
3700 East-West Highway, Room 622D
Hyattsville, MD 20782


Post the receipt and I will match as a % of income the most generous giver.  I can put my money where my mouth is, can these other clowns?

David Brooks reads my blog!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/opinion/03brooks.html?_r=1

Well, maybe not, but his tax reform ideas appear very similar to my own, although they look a little different because he has an "editor" that "cares" about "grammar" and "punctuation."

While I completely support his tax reform ideas, I have no faith in his vision of Obama as someone who can make a pivot and address this issue that could be a huge winner for him.  I do not think he has it in him to forsake 30 years of idealogical commitment and activism as a professional leftist community organizer and the most liberal vote in Congress.  I would love to be proven wrong here for the sake of the country. This would paint him as sympathetic to everyone who pays taxes, (insert snide comment about Democrats only liking to spend other people's money here) and could be a real factor in getting the economy moving again.  I don't want Obama to crash and burn, I am unwilling to immolate the country just to get him out of office.  If he can read the writing on the wall and tack right like Clinton there are things that he could accomplish that could be really positive.  Clinton's welfare reform was one of the best pieces of legislation passed and I doubt that any Republican President could have gotten that through.

More Multi-national organizations run amok

Spoiler alert, I am a huge soccer fan and will occasionally make points in that context.  Skip this post if you do not care

Russia and Qatar given 2018 and 2022 World Cup respectively.  Soccer is supposed to this universal game that everyone can play.  The people who run the sport resist all change to any kind of technology, microchips in the ball to see if it goes over the line, instant replay or additional officials because they want to to be accessible to everyone on all levels, sounds all happy and granola groovy, right?

What happens if Israel qualifies?  FIFA already makes Israel qualify through Europe (amazing geographers those heads of FIFA) because Israeli athletes are not allowed to enter various countries in the Middle East, including Qatar.  There was probably a reason that South Africa did not get the World Cup until after Apartheid.  Can you imagine if the USA got the World Cup and did not allow Muslims?  What is the difference?  Would we even be allowed to apply?

Further food for thought, it's not just in the Middle East