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http://politizine.blogspot.com...
While many may not agree with me and don't think this is the liberal position to take, I beg to differ. My long experience in Massachusetts has proved to me that the best way to go is to stay away from broad-based taxes. Lobbyists are just too strong a force in our governments and even Democrats cannot be counted on to do the best thing for the people [Can anyone say, Democratically-controlled Congress? Why are we still in Iraq when we voted them all in to get us out?].
In this piece, I didn't even talk about the poor and middle class folks who can't afford the implementation of an income or sales tax at this time due to the very high cost of living right now. I don't even talk about the fact that income and/or sales taxes will hurt renters in our state harder than anyone and that renters are some of the poorest people in the state.
The simple fact is that governments have to live frugally right now and make the best with what they have. If state, city and county employees don't like paying more for health care like those of us in the private sector are having to deal with or don't like living with raises that are at the cost of living when those of us in the private sector aren't getting raises or are losing our jobs, well, they can find other jobs and we'll replace them with people who would kill for their safe, cushy jobs. If the state, county, or city governments can't make due with what they are getting, they need to start making cuts like we all have to do in our own households.
Between the beginning of 2007 and now, I have had do all kinds of things to balance our home budget.
I had to make up for the fact that home heating oil is $1-plus per gallon more than last year and due to this very harsh winter, we will have used about one-fifth more than last year.
I've had to find ways to make up for the fact that gas is about $1 more per gallon and that when I changed jobs, not only did a take a small pay cut but I went from a 3 mile daily commute to a 130 mile daily commute just to stay in my field.
Just a few months ago, chicken at Market Basket went from $1.99 per pound to $2.69-$2.79 per pound. Since I usually buy two multi-pound packets a week, chicken will cost us about $150 more per year in 2008 than 2007. So, I stopped buying two packets a week. I just buy one now and we live with less chicken.
In fact, I buy about $25 to $30 less in food each week compared to past years in order to make ends meet. I buy a lot fewer name brands now too since the store brands cost less and are just about as good.
BBQ this summer is really going to suck if I can't afford to splurge a little bit for more chicken and steak.
We also stopped getting food delivered too. Usually, we could swing a pizza every few weeks. Now, I make homemade pizza occasionally - which costs a lot less - and we are lucky to get calzones delivered once every few months, if that. Never mind going out to eat at Hermanos or someplace nice. Haven't done that in more than a year.
The other day when I went into Stop & Shop in Lexington near my office to buy some lunch meat and the prices were between $7.50 and $10 per pound for basic store brand items. I was shocked. How can anyone pay those prices?
Cable got cut back to the basic service, so now I have no C-Span and no news channels which is driving me bats but I needed to save the difference.
We renegotiated our cell phone service with a new company and got new phones and are saving $35 per month compared to last year.
We changed all the light bulbs in the house and shut everything off when not in use which lowered our electric bill substantially after Unitil raised rates by 24 percent a little bit ago. Shutting off the modem, router, and all the power strips, as well as changing the light bulbs, lowered the kwhs by about 40 percent alone.
Now, I'll admit, we should have done some of these things anyway, like the energy conservation and the phones. But the other changes are an inconvenience and affect our quality of life. But that is the cost of living in modern America just like it was in historical America when folks made sacrifices to make ends meet. That is what we have had to do to survive now. If sales or income taxes are implemented, we are going to get hammered by it and we can't pay anymore.
Lastly, my family is not rich so I'm not defending the pledge to keep all of our money hidden away from the taxman. And I don't want to seem like I'm crying about life. We have chosen the lives we have - beyond what market forces have handed us - and in many ways, we are quite happy.
But the simple fact is that we need to be able to survive. Many people in New Hampshire, including us, can't pay anymore in taxes. Governments and those citizens who are clamoring for new taxes are just going to have to learn to live with what they are already collecting.
In closing, I would add, for those citizens who want to pay an income tax, feel free. Set aside your 5 percent per week [or whatever percent] and mail it to Gov. Lynch or the Fish & Game Dept. or your local school. Do it as a group if you like and give the money together to some agency that you think should be better funded.
In 2002, the media per capita income in New Hampshire was about $34,000-plus [it is probably more now]. At 5 percent, $1,700-plus can directly be put into something you choose to fund. If 20 of you get together, you can pay for another teacher at your local school [sans benes of course]. Probably all the posters on Blue Hampshire could come up with $300k to $400k annually for a state agency they choose to fund.
But please don't take any more from us. I'm sorry, but we can't afford it and will do everything we can to fight it to keep from paying it.
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