Friday, June 26, 2009

Mayor versus Union

rappers

who comes out ahead?

Rappers opine on who wins in the stand-off between Mayor David Cicilline and the Providence firefighters.  Remember, the firefighters’ protest at the US Conference of Mayors kept federal officials away from the conference.  So does the Mayor’s stand make him look strong?  Or does the impasse elevate the firefighters’ issue?  Here’s what you had to say.

No it does not help him.  It has gone on way too long and any political capital he may have once had with it has long since dried up.  He now appears to be just another in a long line of platitude spouting R.I. politicos who have no managerial or negotiating skills.  While many people are upset with the fire-fighters picket line at the Conference of Mayors: they don’t seem to realize (or maybe do not care) that the union has been working without a contract for a long, long time and are dealing with a “stone wall”.  They are well within their rights to picket.  The Cicilline administration had plenty of time to realize that maybe - just maybe - the new White House would “HONOR” picket lines - unlike the former Administration - who had no honor!  What if Cicilline personally needed the fire Dept.?  Do you think his attitude would change?  Or would the arrogant, self important little man just think that it was his God given right to expect help from the very people who he has failed to negotiate with, in good faith, for so long?  You can bet that they would respond in spite of who it was who needed their help, contract or no contract!  There are many financial problems and the Fire Contract is just another in a long series of issues that should be worked out.  The thing is you have to address issues before you can reach a resolution!  You cannot let matters fester like a boil without the situation getting worse! 
Mike T, Coventry

I support him. When the unions resort to disrupting things that have no relations to their contract (before the Mayor’s Conference, they picketed the presidential candidates), then they make themselves look petty. I’m tired of the sate being held hostage by the unions.
Bill, Portsmouth

Mayor Cicilline is looking like an incompetent fool by letting the situation
with the firemen go on for so long. He should bring in an arbitrator and
have binding arbitration to settle it. If it goes against the city, then make up
any shortage of money by layoffs. End of story. Face the music.
The only thing more stupid than this stalemate, is the circus that goes on
year after year with teachers. In the end the taxpayer pays. As usual.
stuckinRI

I think both parties are in a no win situation. What really matters is the whether or not the taxpayer is going to be hurt in the aftermath.
Lee L,Woonsocket

Friday, June 19, 2009

Tax Everything

rappers

Nowhere to Hide

When you buy something over the internet…most states have a compact whereby the merchant will charge the local sales tax if it has a physical presence in the state where the order is from.  So an online purchase will result in revenue for the state.  Fair enough.  But all those online stores that do not have a bricks and mortar store int he state…like Rhode Island…will sell the product, and charge no sales tax.  Rhode Island lawmakers have proposed that the delivery service that brings the package to your home, notify the tax department, so the tax man can get his sales tax out of you.  Local merchants say it’s only fair and equal competition to make out of state vendors charges the 7% in Rhody…6 and a quarter (if the current budget passes) in Massachusetts.  So you all say…

Enough already. Put a casino at Quonset. Cruise ships coming and going. It has to be better than what we’re doing now.
Mr. Ed

ABSOLUTELY NOT ! The State gets enough of our money now and they have proven that they cannot manage that properly.Why should we give more? In these tough economic times?Are they crazy?! Learn how to control Government spending and there would be plenty of money to go around.
Larry S, Cumberland

Taxing internet sales might sound good to some. I am concerned at the way they will track the sales. I am afraid they will be able to get more than tax information. I would definitely curtail my internet buying.
Lee L, Woonsocket

We’ve had enough rigging the game
for the privileged by our policymakers.
If they create loopholes for corporate profit They will have to prey on the consumer and the working poor.
vote those that oversaw
the budget problem out.
Zuke

Just another sneaky tax like the one states put on your cell phone. I think we all need to find that “smokey back room” where these things are thought up, blow it up, then plow it under.
Hound Dog, Bristol

The “Green shoots” of unemployment is soaring. Debt is soaring. The money supply is soaring. Our foreign policy is a wreck – we have more enemies than we can count. Bills to snoop, bills to spy, bills to control.  Policy makers that oversaw a collapsed economy not because the market is “frozen” or because investors are in a state of panic after Lehman, but because derivatives and securitization have been exposed as a fraud built on insufficient capital and propped up by the taxpayer; continue to pass the risk on the working poor. They have not changed the policies of “dodgy financial innovation tools” that games the system and inflates massive speculative debt-leveraging bubbles sold in the secondary market at overly valued, overly rated assets not to mention the use of off-balance sheet operations; but turbo-charged profits by passing risk and skimming hefty salaries and bonuses. There are simply more claims on wealth than there is money in the system they set up. They have set the stage for hyper inflation on necessities and deflation of luxuries. Don’t Tax the consumer, Axe the Policy maker vote them out, better yet hold them liable.
Zuke

Under normal circumstances, this would be a reasonable way to raise revenue. However, no one in state government has shown that they can responsibly use taxpayer monies. It would just be mis-appropriated like all the rest. Throw all the bums out!
Bill G, Cranston

Excuse me while I choke.
Let’s think of more reasons for businesses and people to leave the State.
The “Big Business” Governor, Carcieri, should be working to get more
businesses to come into the State. He seems to be waiting for Twin River
to go under so he can take it over and get 100% instead of the mere 60%

of revenue that caused the place to go out of business. Clever!
Stuckinri

Many companies are charging sales taxes online already.
If you live in the same state as the company resides in, they may be required to collect taxes.
Perhaps the simple answer is to help drive increases in local online businesses so that purchases made online and by Rhode Islanders would be subjected to the same taxes.
I, like many, want spending reform, pension reform and better contracts with our state employees in all areas. Many residents cannot simply afford the increases in local property taxes that are a direct result of loss of state revenue. Having said that,  I don’t want to pay more taxes. I think we need better utilization of the taxes we already collect.
We need legislators who understand the plight we all face. They need to remember they work for us and not the self-serving lobbyists and special interest groups.
We elected them, we can un-elect them!
Tracey P