allison

Thanks to all for providing me yet another evening of entertaining reading, after another long day at work, to pay for my upcoming obscene copay on surgery "out of network" (yes my ankle is going to go to "private school", aka getting worked on by a non-HMO doc, for an hour next month), and lost time. A few remarks: Excellent commentary from Chuck and Jonathon, you guys did a great job of saying it like I can't sometimes. Chuck, I'm childless and will likely stay that way, but if your kids want to go to public skool, I'm glad to pay for it. I'd even pay for their higher education, or at least a good part of it, especially if their academics are on the high end. A buddy of mine is in her first Q at the UW and told me what tuition runs these days, and it absolutely floors me that the taxpayers aren't picking up more of the tab. I'm fine assuming that tax burden, but am ABSOLUTELY not paying for anyone to go to private school who is not related to me. Your choice, your dime. If you don't like the public schoools, use your power as a citizen to make it better, or pay for private school. Yaya, I knew it was you. Babe, you are so unmistakeable. FS, please stay in school. Don't forget to take some Poli Sci and Econ, and maybe a little English 99 wouldn't hurt either. [ 11-19-2002, 12:36 AM: Message edited by: allison ]

I know this is a dumb, dumb topic, but thanks to one and all for your help.

Vouchers encourage people to go outside of the public school sytem. If people are involved in their schools, as in their communities, it makes them better and keeps them better-funded among other things, making them a more valuable asset to all.

Here are a few of mine: Yes: k-12 and higher education (public only, no vouchers) national parks, forests, wildernesses, etc universal health care day care breaking up monopolistic businesses trade tariffs libraries and museums No: stimulating the economy through war or other military action getting in the middle of labor disputes through Excecutive Order liquor stores faith-based anything

Ok, all this talk of taxation leads me to another question: In a perfect world, what services should the governments (from local to federal and all in between) of our great nation provide?

All I'm really hearing here is "I don't want to pay taxes". Well, I don't want to either, nor do I want to have to take the garbage out, change the oil on my car, pay bills, and a lot of other necessary tasks in life. Sorry! How about some solutions? I wish I had some I could throw out there, but I don't.

Sure, I was there. Congrats on bagging the Highest 100 in Washington!

Goat, fair statement. Why don't you take a crack at that defining thing, and I'll get back to you after the slide show tonight with input!

OK, I'm all ears: How do you propose we solve the region's transportation problems?

quote: Originally posted by gregm: ...maybe we should keep the topic focused on what this thread has drifted into... What the...?? Did you smarties finish writing the Federal Tax Code yet? No dessert until you've finished you dinner!

My car tabs went UP, and I get less services for my extra few bucks. Hope you're laughing all the way to the bank, pal!

After shower, during coffee. Unlike many of you, I don't have the luxury of using my employer's time to surf the Net. There have been times I've tried to read the whole day's postings after I've been at work all day, and just so you know how much of time you are wasting, it generally take a full hour to read. I don't do it very often, but it's good to know what a time-suck it can be.

You people are making me so proud. I expect you to have worked out this whole tax code problem by the time I get home from work tonight.

Jumped the shark at page four.

C'mon Greg, say it....."poor people are lazy"....you know you want to, and your people are expecting it!!

I've never seen them in a grocery store. As I don't know any crack dealers, the coin collector store seems like a pretty okay place to look.

The recent drubbing of thelawgoddess in the dry-tooling thread stands as an excellent example of the kind of BS that makes this board suck sometimes. So, maybe she's a little enthusiastic about something she has little experience with....and there is no doubt that she has a silly screen name, but there is no reason to be so nasty. Cut the crap, guys. Spray in the spray section, feel free to be witty everywhere, but I agreee with the uptight guys here in saying that a little restraint goes a long way.

Okay, Fence Sitter wants to talk about Federal Tax reform, and it's enough off topic from the local politics thread that I'm going to paste his post here and see if this discussion talkes off: thread drift... i think i am the genious that can reform taxes... okay here we go... -everyone gets 10% income tax and %5 sales tax... -smokers get 60% 'smoking tax' (purchase of cigaretts etc) -drinkers get a 20% 'alcohol tax'(on purchaswe of alcohol) -have kids, get $500 per year per kid (up to 3 kids) -make more than $500,000 per annum? 30% income tax -make more than 7 figures, 40% tax -make less tahn $18,000 0% income tax -make under $20,000 with kids 0% c'est finis...wasn't so hard was it...some punk ass 21 year old university student just did what 100's of guys making 6-7 figures couldn't do...hmm something is wrong with this picture...

Fair enough, FS. And that is another discussion altogether, that we should have in another thread about how to rewrite the Federal Tax Code. Nobody's been able to some up with a good solution for that yet, so we might as well sit down and tackle it. But in the meantime, this here thread is about local politics...so STAY FOCUSED!!!!

Just got off the phone with him. Sounds like a broken fibular head, nothing too life threatening, and not too painful. Good news. Now, please, any of my remaining healthy friends who are reading this, NO ANKLE INJURIES, (or any other kind for that matter)....you guys are killing me! [ 11-13-2002, 08:40 PM: Message edited by: allison ]

quote: Originally posted by Fence Sitter: i'll start paying more as soon as the bastards that make millions pay their fucking share... the obvious solution to this problem is to make all politicians middle class so they push for benefeits for the middle class... Aren't you a student? You probably aren't in a position to be a tax revolter unless that work-study job pays real good. The other thing that comes to mind is that this particular discussion is based on local politics, and on that level, there's hardly a political leader who is NOT working-class.

I could probably do that. I didn't mean for this to be a big long discussion, just need some little bags.

Yes, I understand. I buy bulk spices there all the time. I was just looking for a place where I can buy some of these bags, and have them on hand. I am not going to steal them from the store, and I'm not going to go over there and buy sometihing every time I need a little bag.

There's something about the chemicals in the film that was in the cans before. I wash them and use them, but I've heard you should not put food in them. Film cans are a little, er, heavy and bulky (no laughing) as well. That's a great idea, Klar. I'll just run down to the store and steal whatever Ziplock bags I might need. Why didn't I think of that?