Someone ask Cory Mason if he's ever heard of "Maryland"

Saw this today:

The plan would be funded with a 1% income tax increase on individuals making $1 million or more, which would generate about $145 million, bill sponsor state Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) said Tuesday. A bill pending in Congress would provide at least $135 million in matching funds, he said.

Leaving aside my general disgust that people in 49 other states are expected to pay for Wisconsin welfare programs (it's a corollary to my disgust that people in 49 other states paid for New York's cash-for-welfare-mothers scheme), a tax on millionaires? Is Madison a Parkers Brothers board game? Are you freaking kidding me?!

Maryland has already tried this, with predictable results:

One-third of the millionaires have disappeared from Maryland tax rolls. In 2008 roughly 3,000 million-dollar income tax returns were filed by the end of April. This year there were 2,000, which the state comptroller's office concedes is a "substantial decline." On those missing returns, the government collects 6.25% of nothing. Instead of the state coffers gaining the extra $106 million the politicians predicted, millionaires paid $100 million less in taxes than they did last year -- even at higher rates

.

I don't know if it's fair to expect a state legislator to be familiar with everything U.S. Supreme Court justices have written--I had to do a search on "laboratories of democracy" to learn the quote was Louis Brandeis*--but surely they should be at least vaguely aware of both the concept of federalism and of national headlines just a few months ago about how their idea failed spectacularly in another state. Especially if we mere migrant workers can keep up...


* "It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country."

Taxes have consequences

I liked this story from the local news here in CNY:

Billionaire businessman Tom Golisano is moving out. Citing high taxes, the three-time gubernatorial candidate and founder of Paychex is planning to move to a place where he won't have to pay taxes on his huge income.

It’s typically a place for the snowbirds from the northeast, but now the state of Florida is about to become the home of one of New York State’s best-known billionaires.

Golisano says he is paying nearly $14,000 a day in income taxes, and enough is enough.

“That kind of money can be put to really good use. I don't need money to play with, but say just for charitable giving or politics and lobbying to get something done. But, just to turn it over to New York state with the level of irresponsibility of the state?” Golisano told Rochester’s 13WHAM.

And look what the "greedy" rich guy is doing with the fruits of his labors:

Golisano's charitable foundation has distributed $12 million in grants on top of millions of dollars in other gifts to hospitals, Catholic schools, and charities.

I wonder if he'll keep donating to the local children's hospital--I suspect he will. Here's a link to his foundation.

...and while I'm complaining

Some Communist git I know in real life told me I have "really bought a load of shit from the teabaggers." (I assume that's the tolerant open-mindedness they publicly congratulate themselves for having.)

Meanwhile, I'm at least 600 miles away from anyone who cares about me so I can earn a wage, most of which is going to be siphoned by government and given to people who can't even be bothered to read the paperwork after they've lied on mortgage application forms.

It must be really nice to have no sense of responsibilty.

I'll be damned.

I just complained about this...

Iowa Democrats want to tax Iowans on their federal taxes.

And they had the State Patrol throw out the audience who attended the session.

"Gross display of arrogance and disdain for taxpayers." Popular these days.

UPDATE: This may be the first time the comments at the DSM Register aren't full of ignorant crap.

I'm pretty sure the Nazis would have shot Failor in the lobby. I probably shouldn't give them any ideas.

Strange bedfellows

The Teamsters are protesting a Democrat tax-hike in New York. Merely self-preservation; I'm sure the overall point about crushing taxes destroying jobs will be lost before the next election. Note also that the Republicans were not invited to budget negotiations.

Paterson did relent on the 118% increase on beer taxes, down to a 27% increase, but apparently it's no big deal for InBev to move production to New Hampshire. I don't drink Budweiser, but if they close that'll affect the distributors, and I need them, especially the importers. The Beer Map already looks bleak.

Chicago Tea Party Protest

Kicking around the idea of hitting Daley Plaza tomorrow morning.

On one hand, I've been depressed and grumpy since Limbaugh spent his whole first half hour Monday ripping into people who continue to be alive after being laid off--how DARE we not give up our non-work interests to concentrate 24/7 on our status as utterly worthless drains on society!--so it might be a good idea for me to leave the house for something other than lifting weights in the glow of a dozen TVs showing CNN tongue-bathing Barack Obama.

(I have no idea why people schedule conservative protests during normal business hours; if I was working I couldn't even consider this.)

On the other hand, Chicago. *shudder*

Please leave suggestions for signage.

Maybe I'll move to Italy with Susan Sarandon

They threw out all the Communists in their last election...

The House has approved and the Senate presently will consider legislation to provide federal insurance for $300 billion in refinanced home loans. Taxpayers will have to shell out hard cash if borrowers default on this government-guaranteed debt. This new program is expected to cover just 500,000 to 1 million homes. Thus, these taxpayer-insured mortgages would average $300,000 to $600,000. This is not exactly low-income housing.

. . .

Congress’s lavish scheme is a particularly shabby deal for renters. While politicians routinely ignore apartment-dwellers and other renters, people like us inhabit 34.7 percent of America’s 108 million households, according to the National Apartment Association. More than one third of U.S. homes are rented, yet rent payments are not tax-deductible, as are mortgages. Where is the social justice in that?

This massive bailout will suck tax money out of renters’ bank accounts and swallow savings that some are salting away for home purchases. If this plan achieves its purpose, residential prices will rise again, pushing the American Dream of home ownership back above many a renter’s reach.

Fuck you very much!

I don't mind lack of tax deductions for rent as much as I mind paying for other people (and the huge payouts to La Raza in this bill make me wonder about just who these people are...) to live large beyond their means while I live in a couple of shabby rooms in a newly crime-ridden neighborhood waiting for my credit score to improve.

If you know the government is going to pay your mortgage to keep you in your home, why bother to make a single payment? Why am I not posting this from a Colonial with a three-car garage in Cedarburg??

I can't say it any better.

I did my taxes today, too. I got spoiled in Iowa, deducting my federal tax payment from my state-taxable income. How can you bastards in Madison tax money that I never got!?!?

Really can't say it any better, although I'd like to add a big F-U to all those "farmers" like Ted Turner who have never touched soil but receive millions in subsidies anyway, and everyone who thinks gas taxes are too low. Also an F-U to anyone who thinks corn-based ethanol is so awesome the gov't should pay people to make it.

I also note that if I was married, I would have paid $846 less federal on the same taxable income after all deductions were taken...I note this every year, it's right there in the damn tax table. Don't give me that crap about "two people have more expenses"--my rent wouldn't be more if I were two people, the electric company doesn't bill a residence a higher rate when it has more than one person, houses and cars don't cost more when they're purchased by two people, and the additional coffee consumed by a spouse should be accounted for by the extra personal deduction. The tax rate, i.e., the PERCENTAGE OF INCOME TAKEN, is greater on single people. Hello, 14th Amendment?? And the WI form has a "marriage credit" right there on the page--married people get a lower rate and a credit.

So, an extra big F-U to everyone in government---and everyone who votes for those weasels--who believes I deserve to be financially punished by the government for being ugly and unlovable. Really, the discrimination and scorn are sufficient without having it reinforced by the government (in violation of the 14th Amendment, did I mention that?).

Mark Steyn's Modest Proposal

From NRO:

My suggestion is that, on the day this bill comes into effect, all 300 million US citizens and legal residents should apply for a Z visa.

This is an excellent idea. I, too, want to live and work here without paying taxes (if only I had some children to take advantage of the free education, healthcare, and WIC!). And since whatever clerks are getting stuck filling out the paperwork won't have any idea what day I entered the country, and I'm sure the form won't ask for a Social Security number...