February 11, 2008

Taking Care of Rhode Island (In the Hit Man Sense)

Justin Katz

The business section of the Providence Journal was full of discouraging words, yesterday. Consider this from the dangerously clueless Senate Finance Committee Chairman Stephen Alves (D., West Warwick):

When I asked him afterward about his remarks, Alves said that state tax collections were down last month, compared not only with January 2007, but also with January 2006.

"This is getting larger and larger," he said of the state’s budget problem, "and passing it to cities and towns" isn't the way to go.

He said he doesn't favor increasing the state's personal income-tax rates. Nor does he favor raising the state's sales-tax rates (although he said he would consider "expanding the scope" of the sales tax).

What about raising the minimum corporate income tax? "It's certainly something we're looking at," he said.

For example, he said, raising the tax to $1,000, from the current $500, would mean an increase of about $10 a week for 94 percent of the companies that do business in Rhode Island, he said.

That seems reasonable, he said, especially given the deficits that Rhode Island is facing, and the costs that workers must shoulder, Alves said. "The pain has to be shared equally," he said.

Senate President Joseph Montalbano throws in increases to the flat-tax and the capital gains tax.

Then we get this gobbledegook from some URI electrical and computer engineering professor named Donald Tufts:

We need greater tax fairness in Rhode Island and a spirit of sharing and common sacrifices like that of the "Greatest Generation" of the 1940's. Then we can come through our state's difficult financial period, as we did during the credit union crisis. The present crisis, like the credit union failures, was caused by inappropriate special-interest legislation, which needs to be quickly reversed.

Only, by "special interests," Tufts doesn't mean unions and entitlement grabbers; he means the wealthy. You know, the few percent of Rhode Islanders who pay 40% of the taxes. People who are free to leave, as the residents in the income categories below them have been doing.

These folks have us on a course to find out just how much pain Rhode Island can share among its residents — at least those who pay the bills.

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When they talk about 'sharing the pain' and such crap, why do they refuse to even entertain the truth that the taxpayers have been feeling the pain for YEARS and getting nothing out of it.

I have the privilege of taking both of my vehicles in for suspension service this month because they have finally succumbed to the state's inability to maintain the roads. Who do I send THAT bill to?

Posted by: Greg at February 11, 2008 10:53 AM

--Alves said. "The pain has to be shared equally," he said.

What pieces of crap those Democrats are. This has been coming for years, and they've known it - and still sold the tobacco money at a discount in order to raise some quick cash, continued to give away the store to the unions and welfare pimps, their leadership continued to take "Dollar Bill" bribes from Blue Cross and CVS (while the rank and file continued to support that leadership, as they patiently waited in line for their turn for promotion within the Democrat ranks so they could start cashing in big time) ... and then continued to run for reelection posing as representatives of the people who live to make life better for "working families."

And now (like RISDIC) we abused taxpayers are supposed to bail them out again in a spirit of "shared pain" and "shared sacrifice?" What lying pieces of crap.

No doubt there's a corner in Hell reserved for alumni reunions of Democrats who "served" in the General Assembly.

Posted by: Ragin' Rhode Islander at February 11, 2008 12:50 PM

-- Donald W. Tufts, of Warwick, is a former chairman of the School Committee and member of the Town Council in East Greenwich plus a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Rhode Island.

That explains much too. A lifetime living off of the public trough, and serving on a school committee "negotiating" contracts - wanna bet that this clown was /is in the faculty union (NEA? AFT?) while "negotiating" EG school contracts ... that'll also later be used as a benchmark at URI?

And this economic illiterate has the chutzpa to complain about "special interests"?

No wonder this state is going down the crapper.

Posted by: Ragin' Rhode Islander at February 11, 2008 12:59 PM

Alves will do whatever's best for consultants and lobbyists (or whoever gives in to his yelling and intimidation). 'Nuff said.

Posted by: rhody at February 11, 2008 3:29 PM

Maybe. It never seems to be the taxpayer, though, Rhody.

Posted by: Monique at February 12, 2008 2:01 PM
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