What the Hell???

[Sicario]

It always amazes me that when a person is broke, they have to cut back on expenses... but when the government is broke, they just raise taxes. Where does it end??

It shouldn't amaze you in the least bit. Look at the current fund raiser for Haiti, in this troubled economy with millions of more people out of work and decreased family budgets, where are people finding money to donate? Another way to look at this is that your money is not really your money, it's the governments money, they just let you use it until they want it back again.

And if you think taxes are not going up after "Mr. Change" too office in Washington and gave us his generous stimulus spending spree, then think again.

 

[Shadowslayer77]

He should be going after the auxiliary, all fraudulent, "california air resources board'' to free up $759 million (2010 budget) of a complete waste of Calif. tax payer dollars, keep those fine teachers like your wife and hire some more ! :hatsoff:

I despise those arrogant a-holes at "CARB", with their nifty acronym who actually believe that they actually have a hand in the production of the air we breathe ! All you have to do is goog "Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether + California well water contamination" to see that they, "CARB" that is, have caused the single greatest ecological disaster in the state's history.
Today CARB is using the testimony of fraudulent so called doctorate to force every diesel truck and buss off of the road unless they....
Read More if you dare.

Just think about how many teachers $759 million could buy !

First off sorry If I gave the wrong impression. My wife is data managment not a teacher. Second off... well said. I agree.

 

[Sparky Shortz]

This is only Phoenix right now and I'm thankful to be in Mesa. They've already closed parks, recreation and have plans to cut back on bus service for people who have no transportation to get to work...a true bunch of crap :eek:

You can never tell in Memphis it seems like which every way the wind blows as most of you know ofr don't know we damn near have a tax on everything but i have seemed to notice state tax laws are different.I know that has to suck Sparky but it almost seems the way of the land now :dunno:

 

[Sparky Shortz]

I know...ridiculous :thefinger

That sucks.
Here they are going to tax renters and probably will go after food next.

 

[Sparky Shortz]

Just like they do everything else...you're right...when you're used to something, you forget about it and wait for the next round of shit :eek:

Gone after five years? :1orglaugh I don't think so. Everyone will be used to it by then and they'll just keep it around. Welcome to the Canadian way of life, taxes, taxes and more taxes with false promises of getting rid of them but in actuality they just keep going up.

 

[Sparky Shortz]

I agree...but the worst of it all is that none of this stupid tax would be necessary if they weren't giving so much of the money away on health care, food stamps and family assistance for illegals and unemployment insurance for people who are too lazy to get their asses out of bed to work :thefinger

That's too bad. That kind of tax always hurts the middle and lower classes the most. I'd imagine Phoenix really needs those fire and police employees, but why not some kind of luxury tax instead?

 

[Sparky Shortz]

The system is corrupt and we're giving out money away to illegals that get on a program...it's not the illegals fault...it's our government...if it's available...go for it...and they do :thefinger

I wouldn't plan on that food tax sunsetting. It will be on the books forever. Arizona has very low gas taxes. You could bump that up .10 without bankrupting everybody.

Arizona, like most of the West, has suffered through the housing crash. Those property tax revenues plummeted and they won't be coming back for years...

The revenue has to come from somewhere....:dunno:

 

[Sparky Shortz]

Not only would they be losing weight, but not abusing our health care system from having to go to the emergency room for all kinds of problems because of their health issues due to an extremely HIGH BODY FAT count...

Let's look at the bright side of this food tax...

Maybe people will stop eating so much and lose some weight. We have the fattest country in the world, so that wouldn't be all that bad of a thing. Plus, taxing food might make people smarten up and realize how much money they are absolutely wasting on grocery items.

 

[Sparky Shortz]

You lucky guy...where is your city...time for me to go there soon :nanner:

Maricopa SUCKS and I don't even go near that part of town :thefinger

No, because my city isn't 50%+ illegal aliens...yet.

It doesn't surprise me at all. I have friends in Maracopa County and it's an utter disaster down there...just terrible. You couldn't pay enough to live there with all the illegals, sorry. I understand you gotta live with the anarchy down there Sparky, but you know, it comes with the territory. :wave2:

 

[Sparky Shortz]

Time for the Tea Party or next Revolution...I'm ready :thefinger

I don't agree on anything that taxes an essential element that's needed to directly sustain life. That's almost as bad as creating an air tax so people are allowed to breathe.

Also, didn't a long time ago the federal and state governments' everywhere basically promise not to ever put taxes on things like that?

 

[Sparky Shortz]

It never will ebd as long as people are geting a free ride from the government and we are paying for it with taxes :thefinger

It always amazes me that when a person is broke, they have to cut back on expenses... but when the government is broke, they just raise taxes. Where does it end??

 

[Sparky Shortz]

Thanks Petra for the post...and you are 100% correct. I don't eat that shit either, but I think sometimes it is cheaper than the good stuff and that is what parents are feeding their little fat ass kids because they can afford it. It's a lot easier to send the kids to McDonald's with a couple of bucks than to get the parents' lazy asses off the couch and make a decent dinner for them that is good for them and a lot healthier.

A sad situation, but reality (at least here in Arizona)...your idea is definitely a win win situation and wish more people thought like you :bowdown:

Cheers:thumbsup:

What they should do is put the 2% tax on the processed shit that is sold in the stores. Nobody NEEDS chips, cookies, or tv dinners. Arizona gets the money they need and maybe if folks focused on eating whole foods and veggies they'll get healthier in general. That's a win win situation.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

You lucky guy...where is your city...time for me to go there soon :nanner:

Maricopa SUCKS and I don't even go near that part of town :thefinger

Too cold for you hun. Minneapolis is a cooooooold place for a good 4 months out of the year, and we are about in the middle of the storm. 24788 can attest. Too many people up here bitch and moan about the weather...it makes me so sick. It's like...embrace it, or take a hike. Not to digress. Stay safe down ther and sun bathe for me. :hatsoff:

 

[D-rock]

What they should do is put the 2% tax on the processed shit that is sold in the stores. Nobody NEEDS chips, cookies, or tv dinners. Arizona gets the money they need and maybe if folks focused on eating whole foods and veggies they'll get healthier in general. That's a win win situation.

There is a problem with that. To do something like that effectively they would have to make healthy choices cheaper. The way it is now most of the cheap processed stuff is a lot cheaper than healthy choices, often dramatically so, which is why people, especially poor people, still buy stuff like that. What they could do is to make unhealthy choices cost more to subsidize the healthy food, but then they wouldn't have the money for anything else. It's just easier to not tax food if they can‘t keep the money from it from making other food cheaper. It's too unfair to the people that can least afford it.

I agree...but the worst of it all is that none of this stupid tax would be necessary if they weren't giving so much of the money away on health care, food stamps and family assistance for illegals and unemployment insurance for people who are too lazy to get their asses out of bed to work :thefinger

I don't think we should be taking care of illegals, but does it ever occur to you that there are people out there that don't work through any fault of their own? It sounds more like your trying to stereotype or find a scapegoat instead of looking at the real problem. I don't know where it's like where you are, but where I'm at the overwhelming majority of people receiving benefits, and there is A LOT of them, don't abuse the system, aren't the lazy people republicans or libertarians try to portray them as, have been hurt by circumstances out of their control, and quite frankly have it pretty extremely crappy even with assistance. A better answer is that if the government insured every citizen had a living wage paying job then all of that wouldn't be necessary in the first place. That seems like a much better solution.

 

[Petra]

There is a problem with that. To do something like that effectively they would have to make healthy choices cheaper. The way it is now most of the cheap processed stuff is a lot cheaper than healthy choices, often dramatically so, which is why people, especially poor people, still buy stuff like that. What they could do is to make unhealthy choices cost more to subsidize the healthy food, but then they wouldn't have the money for anything else. It's just easier to not tax food if they can‘t keep the money from it from making other food cheaper. It's too unfair to the people that can least afford it.

I agree that the prices for whole foods is higher. On average I probably spend about 30 euro more for it than if I filled my cart with crap. However, I don't buy that all healthy choices are more expensive. Sure, I choose to use exotic grains and reduced fat options but I don't need to:

- 6 apples of a more expensive variety cost me the exact same as a pack of Oreos would.

- A pack of pasta and a can of pasta sauce w/o added oil or sugar cost me the same price as a big mac and I can feed my current household of 3 off of it. Can't do that with 1 big mac. Add in some ground meat and veggies and that's the same cost of a value meal. Chances are I'll have stuff left over for lunches...can't do that with a fast food meal. Oh, and if you spend a little bit more to get the whole wheat pasta, you can make less since it gets you fuller faster and stays with you longer.

- The water out of my tap is free. However, soda and juices are added costs ontop of my water bill. If I want flavor I can easily add some lemon juice which costs me 70 cents for a bottle. I also make my own iced tea that costs me about $3 a month for tea bags.

- If I shop at the farmers markets where local produce is being sold, I can get in season fruits and veggies for half of the grocery store cost. If I buy in the store and choose the whole veggie vs. the convenience of pre-cut veggies I can save about half the cost.

- If I save veggie peels and cuttings I don't use, I can make stock from it. Not only is this stretching my money farther for the produce I bought but damn home made stock is better!

- Buy a whole chicken and bake/roast it. This costs about 6-7 dollars and I can feed 3 people dinner off it, still have meat left over for sandwiches at lunch the next day AND I can make some really tasty chicken stock. All this for the price of a value meal which lasts only 1 meal.

- Oatmeal for breakfast vs. high priced branded cereals. 1 box of oatmeal at about 55 cents lasts me almost a month and having this for breakfast with some fat free milk will keep you full for a while. This is cheaper than a breakfast value meal by far.

The list goes on. But as I said before, what it really comes down to is being lazy over the actual cost of things. And I stand by my statement before. Nobody NEEDs cookies, cakes, or tv dinners (have you looked at the sodium in those things!?) and half the time they're not cheaper. People just need to start learning how to cook for themselves again vs. convenience foods.

 

[ChefChiTown]

- Buy a whole chicken and bake/roast it. This costs about 6-7 dollars and I can feed 3 people dinner off it, still have meat left over for sandwiches at lunch the next day AND I can make some really tasty chicken stock. All this for the price of a value meal which lasts only 1 meal.

Yeeeeeah, someone who makes their own stock!!! You, my lady, just earned yourself +3 points in awesomeness. Aaaaand, that's enough points to level you up. Say goodbye to being a rogue warrior and say hello to paladin status.

 

[Petra]

Yeeeeeah, someone who makes their own stock!!! You, my lady, just earned yourself +3 points in awesomeness. Aaaaand, that's enough points to level you up. Say goodbye to being a rogue warrior and say hello to paladin status.

Home made stock tastes soooooo much better than store bought. I usually just toss everything into my slow cooker overnight, let it cool and then freeze it for later.

 

[lurkingdirk]

Home made stock tastes soooooo much better than store bought. I usually just toss everything into my slow cooker overnight, let it cool and then freeze it for later.

You are so right! I don't use a slow cooker, but a very large stock pot. Put in a couple of roasting chickens, onions, garlic, basil, celery (not too much), a couple of hot peppers, and your favourite spices. Get it to boil, cover it and let it simmer for four or so hours. And voila!

Use the chicken to make a nice chicken soup, then put the rest of the liquid in gallon bags and freeze it. Recipe for deliciousness.

I have other stocks too. I'm a virtual cornucopia of food knowledge.


I'm sorry, is my dork showing?

 

[Petra]

You are so right! I don't use a slow cooker, but a very large stock pot. Put in a couple of roasting chickens, onions, garlic, basil, celery (not too much), a couple of hot peppers, and your favourite spices. Get it to boil, cover it and let it simmer for four or so hours. And voila!

Use the chicken to make a nice chicken soup, then put the rest of the liquid in gallon bags and freeze it. Recipe for deliciousness.

I have other stocks too. I'm a virtual cornucopia of food knowledge.


I'm sorry, is my dork showing?

Last bit of stock I threw in some left over bacon along with some veggie odds and ends I had in the freezer (I usually save the parts people normally throw away for veggie stock since I make dinner for a vegetarian on a regular basis...they freeze great until you need them). Came out pretty good...but bacon makes everything better.

 

[lurkingdirk]

Last bit of stock I threw in some left over bacon along with some veggie odds and ends I had in the freezer (I usually save the parts people normally throw away for veggie stock since I make dinner for a vegetarian on a regular basis...they freeze great until you need them). Came out pretty good...but bacon makes everything better.

It does, but it is problematic for the vegetarians! I find a bit of Marmite in a stock actually gives a similar flavour to bacon, but keeps it vegan/vegetarian.

And yeah, I freeze the bits no one wants to eat too - broccoli stocks and the like. Veggie stock knows no such prejudice.