Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Of course. Instead of growing the economy, let's spread the wealth around.

This is the kind of junk that has made RI have the highest unemployment. Obama/Carter/Hoover liberal economics --- we can't afford it.

Hooray! I am glad people are confronting Gov. C on his whacked out ideas.

Some people need to get a life. One comment does not make policy. I think the comments were made in regards to a question about MA question #1.... It was a general comment made in passing. Some people feel the need to protest everything..oh wait the gov sneezed and it did not look correct...let's protest!!

I just came from the OSA website. That and the below quote tell me all I need to know about OSA.
"The proposal, critics say, could also lead to major cuts to state aid to cities and towns, education, health care, job training, public safety and infrastructure needs, while increasing property taxes to fund schools and other city services."

OSA doesn't care about me. I am middle-class. Please, someone from OSA tell me how I would have a greater tax burden if I don't have to pay income tax? I also see you are against removing the capital gains tax. You are anti-business and anti-economy and have nerve giving the Gov a book on fiscal responsibility. Hypocrites. All you want is my tax dollars to disperse amoungst the unions and the "professional" groups you represent.

Would my real estate taxes go up? Sure, but since my town shoulders much of its budget, I doubt it. My town is fiscally responsible. I think it is high time we made the state more responsible. Start by giving it less money. Programs get cut. That is life. Our economy is in the provebial you know what. It isn't going to be easy for all the welfare addicts and union members used to an easy life. Come on over to the working class side of the street.

Hey OSA, stop saying you represent me, because you don't.

So what's wrong with not having an income tax? Sounds to me like a fair tax proposal where sales tax takes care of income for the state. People are taxed on what they spend vs. what they make. Just think of all the extra income the state would make from all these illegal aliens that people are constantly complaining about. We would capture more money from those that make cash under the table that don't pay state income tax in the first place.

Unfortunately the apparently emotionally assembled demonstration described in PROJO today must still believe in the tooth fairy?
May I offer some FYI 101 for the demonstrators?

The Governor of RI Don Carcieri seems to be logically stimulating early discussions towards the compelling need for RI to understand the problem and need for its correction. Second the range of solutions and their subsequent implementation. Such dialog must continue with even wider participation of all citizens. Clearly we must all become agents for correcting the present situation in RI.

The first step is to make the RI General ASSEMBLY BECOME MUCH MORE RESPONSIVE e.g. A PARTNER WITH THE GOVERNOR IN REALIZING A SOLUTION RATHER THAN CONTINUING AS A PART OF THE PROBLEM.

Last, we have the equal opportunity to engage and participate e.g. WORK, CONTRIBUTING to the extent of our ability. We do not have right to an entitlement or guaranteed outcome.

Last weekend even the NYT depicted the plight of RI but unfortunately stopped short of connecting the dots e.g. they described the present state dilemma less the cause and or range of solutions required to correct the present negative opportunity.
YES, RI IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PILE OF ALL 50 STATES. You need to understand Why that is.

Why - - RI has a tax policy that is based on seizing any and all wealth regardless of origin. Subsequently a redistribution of any and all seized wealth into an entrenched very expensive entitlement system. The resulting costly state bureaucracy and its entrenched clients all depend on sustaining this unproductive relationship to continue business as usual.. We have all read PROJO reports of the very partisan grievances that have developed along with a continued passive aggressive behaviors exhibited!

Today how do we break this 70 YEAR CYCLE of DECREASING opportunity for RI citizens?

First please understand that ALL Business & skilled employees votes with its feet when exposed to an environment that seizes undue amounts of its wealth / money from owners and its workers alike.

Hence the available wealth to seize and redistribute is drastically reduced. THAT MEANS IN THE END NO FREE LUNCH CAN BE CONTINUED FOR EVER.

ALL small & large businesses is based on making a profit e.g. creating wealth by adding value, when successful, results in opportunity and good paying jobs. This means expanding opportunity to even more people. The pie gets larger for everyone.

The present RI entrenched system of generational legacy liberal largeness does not create an environment that generates wealth and adds value. Such is REQUIRED to increased opportunity. . Rather a sustained pseudo socialism mind set destroys opportunity. Yes, opportunity to engage, participate work and contribute with an expectation of recognition and reward..

We require a complete overhaul of how we deliver government services and the structure of the local and state government for this small city State where we live. The companion task is to redesign how we citizens (again no free lunch) pay for those services and the hopefully new streamlined and smaller resulting government. Yes, REFORM e.g. consolidation restructure and redefinition to a much more agile and leaner system is required to create the necessary climate for small and large business to once again prosper.

The time is short and the task is large. Our governor seems to have a grasp of the situation and some level of expertise to assemble the necessary knowledgeable citizens of good character that ultimately must define, assemble and implement the new RI long after our Governors last term has ended. Only we can individually and collectively make the choice to collaborate and contribute or continue the negative and unproductive passive aggressive behaviors of the past.
The choices are very clear and the reward and or continued penalties are as well hopefully understood by all citizens.
Finally the time is short.
October 30, 2008
Wfh Middletown, RI

The Governor deserved to be called on his grand-standing. Eliminating the income tax sounds great until you realize that it means other taxes that hit the majority of Rhode Islanders harder would need to increase as a result (e.g. sales taxes and property taxes). Sure, this probably sounds good if you're from East Greenwich!

This is the same group that screamed and shouted for a sales tax on services last Spring, because they wanted the well-to-do Moms that can afford a Diaper Service to have to pay 7% tax like the poor and middle tax pays sales tax.

UNFORTUNATELY they were TOO DUMB to realize THERE IS NO SALES TAX ON DIAPERS, so their entire premise for their argument was false.

THIS GROUP SPAWNS CLASS WARFARE.

I like the idea in general, but it wouldn't work unless all 50 states eliminate their state income tax and the federal gov't eliminates theirs as well. Otherwise, if RI eliminates the income tax but increases sales tax to like 15%, and MA doesn't do the same, then no one would ever buy anything in RI when MA is so close and only has a 5% sales tax rate.

As for the quotes in the article:

>>other signs read: "I shouldn't pay the same amount in Rhode Island taxes as a CEO."

Then you shouldn't spend as much as a CEO. I'm guessing you wouldn't. If a CEO has $1M of disposable income and you have $20,000, I'm going out on a limb and say the CEO will spend more in RI and as such pay more in taxes.

>>Ocean State Action says repealing the income tax would shift the largest tax burden to middle- and lower-income Rhode Islanders, who spend more of their income on consumption than do the wealthy.

Yeah, and they also use more of the services that the taxes pay for. Do we think that the upper-income people are on welfare or use TDI or medicaid? No. The higher income people pay more and use less. If anything, the current system is unfair to them.

And it's great to see that this "protest" was made up of five people. I'm guessing the Gov wraps up the book with a pretty little bow and gives it to Steve Constantino as a nice Christmas present. He's the one that could use it.

If repeal of the income tax causes an increase in the sales tax this would be a mistake. Already many big-ticket items are purchased in Massachusetts due to its lower sales tax. Increasing the RI sales tax would only exasperate this problem. Let’s face it, because of its size and climate Rhode Island is an expensive place for government provides public services and for its citizens to live. We must create a business-friendly environment and eliminate government expenditures that benefit certain members of society vs. society as a whole, and eliminate non-essential expenditures. How often have we read that we must accept higher electricity/gas rates so others who don’t pay their bills for months can have services restored? Did these people think the next winters weather was going to be like Miami? I wonder how many of these people are chronically using taxpayer provided or subsidized services like food stamps, RIPTA, etc… Sound harsh, yes, but the complainers are the ones taking money from my wallet. If you can’t afford to live in Rhode Island, please go to the bus station and get a one-way ticket heading south.

Funny - still no responses from OSA, just Karen who says that "other" taxes would "need" to be increased, when in fact they need not increase. The Governor is the only champion of trying to ease this state out it's financial quagmire. To entice business and investment you need to eliminate or lower the capital gains tax. You need to entice businesses by lowering corporate taxes and the only way to deal with a smaller tax base is do to more with less - which is what he's trying to do with the state unions.

We have way toooo much state workers for a state of our size. The benefit packages they all receive are straight out of the 70's. Eliminate government waste, drop taxes, stop overtaxing the rich and our state will improve. I'm not rich but I'm not so jealous and shortsighted to understand that wealthly people will invest and open businesses if it financially advantageous to do so. That is how they got wealthy. I don't want to redistribute their wealth, or my wealth to welfare mothers, the children they continually give birth to, illegals and the like. Unions, welfare state and those supported by such and OSA is nothing but a mouthpiece. Go away OSA, you are killing our state. That all those pesky Democrats.

Let's make this a state where the grads from Bryant, Brown, RISD, PC, J&W want to stay and live because there are jobs to sustain. And make it not favorable if you are a lazy slob that doesn't want to finish school and sit around watching TV on my dollar. Stopping SSI would be a good start. I really hate that deduction out of my paycheck knowing full well that at least 50% of those on it are fully capable people just milking a complacent system that encourages loafing.

This group doesn't realize that the Governor is reacting to Massachussetts move which is likely going to happen leaving us further down the line to create new jobs and entice companies to do business here. Likely we will have a further erosion of economic activity and the likelihood that grads of our universities or businessman decide to set up shop here will fall to zero. Next time you decide to march against the governor think about this. Our small business base in RI has had a declining median income three years straight and our average SBA loan size is 1/5 that of Massachussets therefore, your socialist radical approach helps push who is left to create jobs right out the door.

Eliminating the income tax will put more money in everyones pocket. As long as there are no taxes on essentials like food and clothing nobody should complain. If you don't have money for luxury items that are taxed, maybe you need to cut back. Now that extra money in your pocket can be used for the things that are most important.