All this talk about lost tax revenue is kind of funny. It was just a few years ago that the Federal Government slapped our states hand because we were not spending enough for road repairs so they were going to take away our matching funds. So where were our funds going to? Other programs. They juggle the money around so much that what the initial tax is for goes to other places. I think it will (hopefully) wake some people up. Cut the pork! Just see how extra we will have. And the extra can go where? Um... schools, hospitals, police. Everything that the opposition say's are going to be cut. I think they are really scared that the truth on their spending will now be found out.

-- Dean (deanster@televar.com), October 27, 1999

Answers

I think the truth on their spending is already out. It's now a justification shell game. By saying that police, fire, and other essential services will be cut by this mvet tax elimination is an admission that spending priorities are completely fouled. Their focus, however isn't that a reprioritization will simply have to take place, but that a simple shutdown of the gov't machine will take place. This 695 thing has become worse than the y2k doomsayer alerts. Even if a critical piece shuts down, people don't just stand around with their hands in their pockets saying "Wow, looky there, she just shut down" (Well, your average gov't employee might... but that's another story). Human beings are incredibly ingenious creatures with a great talent to improvise. Unfortunately, lost revenues due to 695 will hardly amount to a 'critical piece' being shut down. It amounts to taxpayers reclaiming their right to keep more of what they earn, thus causing gov't to move monies from the general fund to pay for the essential services, for which they already have MORE than enough money.

-- Paul Oss (jnaut@earthlink.net), October 27, 1999.