Pissed Off!

Recently I spoke with someone who fell for it.   Fell for what?  He fell for the propaganda on the increase on the gas tax.  You see here in New Jersey we have, or so we are told, the lowest gas tax in the country.  The gas is also pumped by employees of the gas stations, and we are legally banned from pumping our own gas.  The oil companies and gas stations would love us to pump the gas so that they would not have to pay someone to do it.

Of course the plea from the so-called representative government in Trenton, and their Main Stream Lackeys, is that our bridges are falling down, falling down, falling down.  Yes, maybe they are, but why now are they suddenly showing concern for the infrastructure.  Years ago I was told that there are always two reasons for the government to push something.  First, there is a admirable reason, but second, there is the real reason.  So we have heard the first reason already, that the bridges are falling down, falling down, etc., but the real reason is that the State needs the money.

Oh, you say that they would use the money to fix the existing bridges that are in need of repair.  How short your memory people have.  Remember the case for gambling in Atlantic City?  The proceeds from gambling that go to the State would be used for education.  So we fell for it.  Well the money generated in Atlantic City by gambling did go to education.   There was only one problem with that though.  The money form other taxes that was previously set aside for education was redistributed to other budget items.

Of course the decline of gambling, and thus gambling revenues in Atlantic City could be another reason for the State’s sudden interest in our infrastructure.   Several casinos are now closed, but that is the result of other issues that I will get into later.

Taxes, especially regressive taxes are a rich man’s trick.  A regressive tax affects the poor and middle class far more than the rich.  It affects the poor and middle class’ buying power far more that the rich.  The rich only like the redistribution of wealth when the redistribution of the wealth goes into their pockets.

People who fall for this bullshit of the sudden need, do not ask why these structures were allowed to deteriorate in the first place.  They should be asking where have the taxes gone.  Here in New Jersey we have some of the highest taxes in the united States.  Our property taxes are the highest in the Nation.  We have a 7% sales tax, and an income tax.  Along with this we have some of the highest fees in the nation.  Along with that we have been mandated to purchase auto insurance,  and that is nothing less than taxation without representation.  It too was sold to us as “If everyone had auto insurance it would cost less”.  What a lie that was, and of course the local, county and state police are the unpaid enforcers for the auto insurance industry.  So you pay their wages with your taxes, and they police whether or not you have auto insurance. 

So what is the solution?  Well how did we get here in the first place?  For that let me return to the Ogdensburg Debate for the State Senate in 2007.  The Democratic Senate candidate, Ed Selby was running on a reschedule of the tax system.  While Republican Senate candidate was waving the flag of patriotism, and going to cut “wasteful” spending.

So I asked them the following question:  Since Nixon took the US of of the gold standard , and allowed the dollar to float that inflation took hold.  In 1971 an ounce of gold was worth $35.00.  In today’s market an ounce of gold is worth $1255.70 per ounce.

The other problem since 1971 is all of the so-called free trade agreements, which were put through as agreements and not treaties as they should have been.  As treaties they would NEVER have passed.  So in my opinion they are all unconstitutional.  Even before these so-called free trade agreements we had the Caribbean Basin Initiative was the beginning.  It’s goal as stated was to bring the Caribbean Basin an economic solution to poverty, but it was really to destroy the US garment industry, and exploit the workers.  It was instituted in 1983, and now 33 year later see the results.  Look at our former garment district, and here in New Jersey we lost the Custom Shirt Factory, among others.

So with services and products procured by the State costing far more due to rampant inflation, and a continued drain on manufacturing and service sectors of our economy due to “free” trade, this puts a further burden on the State.  Spelled out in simple terms,  costs more, less tax base, and more dependence on the State for unemployment, etc.

So until these issues are remedied do not even consider increasing the gas tax.  No when a politician mentions that get PISSED OFF.  Otherwise you’re getting PISSED ON.  I am sure that you will agree that getting PISSED OFF is far better than being PISSED ON.

http://subterrnews.blogspot.com/2016/03/pissed-off-recently-ispoke-with-someone.html