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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Verdana>If the tea baggers like Roger want to lower
individual income taxes, the they ought be educating themselves and
rallying against the hundreds of tax exemptions in state tax code and
the many, many thousands of tax breaks in the federal tax code, all 44,000 pages
of it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Verdana></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Verdana>I suspect many of the tea baggers either do not
understand the complexity of the tax laws, who benefits from these laws, and/or
are too inept or lazy to deal with this problem (and tea baggers are not
the only ones).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Verdana></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Verdana>W.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=lfalen@turbonet.com href="mailto:lfalen@turbonet.com">lfalen</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=thansen@moscow.com
href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com">Tom Hansen</A> ; <A
title=vision2020@moscow.com href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Moscow Vision
2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, April 23, 2010 10:22
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Raise Our
Taxes</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>I do not think it would be wise to raise the income tax or to
increase taxes on savings of any kind. I would not be that opposed
to a 0.5% increase in state sales taxes if it would go toward saving jobs in
higher ed. This is provided that they first cut out the fat at the top. At the
UI that means Baker, Mues and Daly-Laursen. There are also several former
Department Heads that only took a 15% decrease when they stepped down. The
former head of AVS teaches only one class and advises students, but is paid
more than the other AVS professors. What a waste of funds. The Kibbie
Dome update was billed as required because of safety issues an paid for by
doners. That is what Nellis says about the SBOE approved update of The Jensen
engineering Building. I don't believe it. The staff people in the College of
Ag will have to have half their salary provided by their PI. If the PI can not
come up with the funds they will be placed on half time.Just who can afford to
work half time. A!<BR> ny of the<BR>above cuts would save a lot of
staff jobs. There is no need for administrators if there arn't enough
staff people to to run the programs. The students are also hurt when these
programs are not adequately staffed.<BR>Roger<BR>-----Original
message-----<BR>From: "Tom Hansen" <A
href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com">thansen@moscow.com</A><BR>Date: Thu, 22 Apr
2010 14:23:51 -0700<BR>To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <A
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A><BR>Subject:
[Vision2020] Raise Our Taxes<BR><BR>> Courtesy of the Illinois Issues Blog
at:<BR>> <BR>> <A
href="http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/raise-our-taxes.html">http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/raise-our-taxes.html</A><BR>>
<BR>>
-------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>>
<BR>> Wednesday, April 21, 2010<BR>> "Raise our taxes"<BR>> By Jamey
Dunn and Rachel Wells<BR>> <BR>> Citizens advocating for an income tax
increase to avoid deep cuts to the<BR>> state budget packed the Illinois
Capitol today for one of the largest<BR>> rallies in recent
history.<BR>> <BR>> The secretary of states office estimated that
12,000 people participated<BR>> in the march and 15,000 total were in the
Capitol complex as part of the<BR>> rally.<BR>> <BR>> With chants of
Well remember in November and Save our schools. Save<BR>> our state,
protesters marched around the Statehouse and then filled the<BR>> halls.
They came to advocate for education and social services, such as<BR>>
mental health care, addiction counseling and in-home care for the
elderly.<BR>> <BR>> We have tens of thousands of people whose
well-being is at stake if this<BR>> state does not act. So Im here to
advocate for responsible decisions, a<BR>> tax increase to support social
services in this state, and Im happy to<BR>> join these thousands and
thousands of people who have come out here to do<BR>> this, said Rev. Bob
Rasmus, board member for Lutheran Social Services and<BR>> a pastor in
Urbana.<BR>> <BR>> Jo Ann Woods-Payne from ABJ Community Services on the
southeast side of<BR>> Chicago said she came out today to support HB 174 so
her organization can<BR>> continue to provide programs such as foster care,
job training for public<BR>> aid recipients and a clothing and food pantry.
She said the state is<BR>> behind on its payments to ABJ for the social
services it offers in the<BR>> community.<BR>> <BR>> We feel
possibly that the income tax needs to be raised if thats what<BR>> its
going to take to help keep those programs open for our clients, she<BR>>
said.<BR>> <BR>> We have to have a balanced budget, and we passed an
income tax over in<BR>> the Senate, which is now in the House, which
provides $4.3 billion. So we<BR>> hope that they would take a second look,
Senate President John Cullerton<BR>> said of HB 174. We passed the bill.
And thats the solution to a lot of<BR>> our problems.<BR>> <BR>>
However, Republicans in both chambers do not seem any closer to
supporting<BR>> a tax increase.<BR>> <BR>> I like having [the rally
participants] come here because there is not<BR>> better way for me to
explain my position on whats going in this building<BR>> and the way I
think this state works its way out of its fiscal mess than<BR>> to talk
one-on-one individually with those people, said Sen. Dale<BR>> Righter, a
Mattoon Republican.<BR>> <BR>> Righter said many of his constituents
were at the rally but the message of<BR>> chants such as Raise our taxes
did not echo the opinions of the majority<BR>> of the people he represents.
I dont know that that kind of theater is<BR>> necessarily representative
of most the people in my district.<BR>> <BR>> Righter voted against HB
174 last year and said he will not consider a tax<BR>> increase until there
are cuts and reforms to Medicaid, which he says is<BR>> growing in an
unsustainable way.<BR>> <BR>> If you dont fix those two things first
its all but a guarantee [that]<BR>> a tax increase comes, you layer a
whole bunch, billions of dollars of new<BR>> taxpayer money, on top of
whats happening here and then it all seeps<BR>> through the cracks that
theyve created in the last eight years and then
<BR>> we start over in a
couple years.<BR>> <BR>> Righter said that he doesnt think the rally
will change the minds of many<BR>> legislators who are opposed to a tax
increase. He also doesn't think<BR>> Democrats are willing to take the
political risk to pass a tax increase<BR>> before the November general
elections.<BR>> <BR>> -----------------------<BR>> <BR>> Photos
from the rally . . .<BR>> <BR>> <A
href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dYUVdJZjJNw/S893i7auZRI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/nN-JsalFWeA/s1600/rallyshot1.jpg">http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dYUVdJZjJNw/S893i7auZRI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/nN-JsalFWeA/s1600/rallyshot1.jpg</A><BR>>
<BR>> <A
href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dYUVdJZjJNw/S893zqyGl4I/AAAAAAAAAMY/JTHlLfmJtV4/s320/rallyroof.jpg">http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dYUVdJZjJNw/S893zqyGl4I/AAAAAAAAAMY/JTHlLfmJtV4/s320/rallyroof.jpg</A><BR>>
<BR>>
-------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>>
<BR>> Seeya round town, Moscow.<BR>> <BR>> Tom Hansen<BR>> Moscow,
Idaho<BR>> <BR>> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist
expects it to change<BR>> and the Realist adjusts his sails."<BR>>
<BR>> - Unknown<BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
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