California may be readying to tax all remaining businesses to death

[Suvorov]

I grew up in Cheyenne, moved there when I was 5 in '71, moved to Ohio in '98. I went back to see my Mom and some old friends a few years ago.... It's unrecognizable. I think the population was around 40,000 when I left. Seems like it's 10 times that now. Houses EVERYWHERE, traffic is crazy, my friends tell me it's a scary place to live and I shouldn't go back. Hell they almost elected a democrat a last election cycle. My friends are making a lot of money building houses and laying fiber optic cable, but most of the people moving there are from liberal states. Bringing those ideas with them, too.

I grew up in Laramie 74-96. You go to East or Central?

A friend of mine is CPD - he has a lot to say about it. I'm looking closely of moving to Ft Collins. I realize that Cheyenne is just another 45 min up the Interstate but I really don't want to raise my boys in that town. Laramie is just too far for my weekly commute down to DEN (especially in winter time).

[shaneruss]

I grew up in Laramie 74-96. You go to East or Central?

A friend of mine is CPD - he has a lot to say about it. I'm looking closely of moving to Ft Collins. I realize that Cheyenne is just another 45 min up the Interstate but I really don't want to raise my boys in that town. Laramie is just too far for my weekly commute down to DEN (especially in winter time).

I went to East, class of 86. Ft Collins was a great place to go when I was growing up, don't know much about it now. Passed through it on my way up into the Rockies with my 2 youngest a few years ago, much bigger than I remember. I used to live on the east edge of town, nice and quiet, now there's houses and developments running 4 or 5 miles out past it. It's so overpopulated now my friend that lives on the same block I grew up on told me to rent or sell my Moms place instead of moving back. I'm sure a lot of people my age have the same story about their home town, but it still breaks my heart watching Cheyenne have big city problems.

Winter commutes in the west are horrible. Many times I've driven to work and back in Ohio snowstorms, in a little Mitsubishi or Honda, telling my family it's nothing compared to learning to drive in Wyoming winters. I still have nightmares about driving over the summit in bad weather.....

[Bart Carter]

In addition to an income tax, California is proposing a wealth tax, showing that we're just chock full of good ideas. See https://www.westernjournal.com/calif...last-10-years/

I'm OK with a wealth tax on politicians and their families. As a servant of the people, why should a politician need more than an apartment and 50K a year?

[RevolverRob]

I'm OK with a wealth tax on politicians and their families. As a servant of the people, why should a politician need more than an apartment and 50K a year?

Look, I'm all for limiting the pay of public servants and making sure they pay their taxes, but what you just wrote is the most un-American thing in this thread though.

The only thing more un-American would be, "Why should a(n) American need more than an apartment and 50k a year, eh comrade?"

There is nothing 'need based' in America and a politician who works hard and does what they are supposed to, should not have less than another person, just because they are a public servant.

Why should cops have houses and families and make more than a private in the Army? Shouldn't they all live in dorms and be permanent celibate monks?

It just doesn't make sense.

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Taxes are an often necessary evil. The trouble with tax bills and propositions, etc. Is that they rarely come with proper oversight built in. For instance, right now the vote for a IL State Constitutional Amendment is coming up the 'Fair Tax Bill'. Which would eliminate IL's flat income tax for a 'graduated tax'. But as part of this amendment, there is zero guidance and no limits. The legislators will be allowed to create as many tax brackets as they want, spend the tax revenue however they want, and are not forced to do anything like balance the budget.

The problem IL has isn't a lack of tax revenue, it's that the state is corrupt to the core and over-extended in a corrupt Teamsters Union backed set of pension funds. No matter how it's cut, the state of IL cannot tax its way back to liquidity. It has to eliminate its debt burden, balance the budget, and focus on properly spending the tax revenue it already has.
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But no one wants to hear that we're going to eliminate the underwater basket weaving program at the local high school, or tell union members who are double dipping to fuck off...

Nope, we'll 'tax the rich!' that'll work. I'm sure our billionaire governor will be getting right on paying his fair share.

[ffhounddog]

Looks like a violation of the dormant commerce clause.

[Bart Carter]

...The only thing more un-American would be, "Why should a(n) American need more than an apartment and 50k a year, eh comrade?"...

Actually, just trying to strip out the swamp from honest politicians. Take away the incentive to become filthy rich from politicians and you have people that actually want to work together to make American better.

Take away their special "benefits." Why should they have healthcare other than is available to all Americans, for instance?

What happened to the idea that being a Congressman was a part time gig that you took time off from your real job?

Serving the country as a politician is not the same as police, fire, etc.

A politician is a special breed that has very little oversight.

Do you get the idea that I don't like politicians?

[shaneruss]

Actually, just trying to strip out the swamp from honest politicians. Take away the incentive to become filthy rich from politicians and you have people that actually want to work together to make American better.

Take away their special "benefits." Why should they have healthcare other than is available to all Americans, for instance?

What happened to the idea that being a Congressman was a part time gig that you took time off from your real job?

Serving the country as a politician is not the same as police, fire, etc.

A politician is a special breed that has very little oversight.

Do you get the idea that I don't like politicians?

I agree with you 100%. I firmly believe in term limits for elected officials at all levels. It seems that most of our Senators and Representatives have decided that they are a class above the rest of us and act accordingly. With term limits, these people would have to go back into their communities and live under the laws and policies they subjected the rest of us to. At least, I hope it would work that way. Could we make that a rule?

I suppose they could just jam all the corruption and bribes into one or two terms instead of a 40 yr career.