The Declaration of Independence turned 239 years old yesterday. One of the primary reasons was forced taxation (without representation) on items such as sugar, paper, glass, paint and tea. The colonists rebelled and eventually fought to gain their own country.
Fast forward to 2015 and tax increases have become an established way of life.
In June, the […]
Taxes are an undesirable necessity. They are required to provide the minimum resource levels to maintain a society – a monetary supply and national defense to name a few. The amount of resources is usually when the arguments begin. Do we pay for healthcare for all, have deductibles, provide scaling based on wealth, etc.? While […]
Have you ever heard of the Johnstown Tax? Most Pennsylvanians probably have not. It’s an 18% tax that is buried in every purchase of wine or alcohol in the state. Every so often, when the debate begins on whether to privatize alcohol in the state, this buried tax comes up front and center. There are […]
Wanted: Ideas on how to balance budgets without raising taxes.
There are not a lot of businesses breaking down doors to do either move here or conduct business here. The Post Gazette reported the following in an August 8th article. “Pennsylvania earned a D in overall friendliness to small businesses, placing it 33rd out of the […]
The physics of money has changed. Currency looks fake. Every checkout counter is equipped with a yellow marker. If you’re a forger in these times, you have my blessing. With all of the holograms and fibers and office printers that automatically report a person trying to copy currency….I mean, that’s a tough way to make […]
How incredibly sad. Ray Nagin, the former Mayor of New Orleans and front face in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption.
According to the NY Times, Mr. Nagin, a Democrat, was found guilty in February on 20 counts, most relating to kickbacks from contractors looking for city […]
Enough already! I’m not sure what is more upsetting – the relentless media stories about public funds being stolen or realizing that it’s 2014 and in the public sector world known as local government, there are few checks and balances. Where’s the outrage?
We view our corporations and banks through a microscope, looking at every line […]
Few things have a more negative effect on a community than blighted and unkept properties. Uncut grass, boarded up businesses and broken down homes broadcast the signs of a long slow death. With all of the heartache of the 70s and 80s still fresh in the minds of many Western Pennsylvanians, the PA Land Bank […]
Definition: “A type of levy that governments use to increase their revenues without raising the ire of taxpayers. Compared to income taxes and property taxes, stealth taxes are smaller and less visible, so they are less likely to attract attention or spark protest. Examples of stealth taxes include sales taxes, value added taxes, tobacco taxes, […]
Historians are famous for saying “those that fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it”. And they are correct. If you are a half-empty sort, you will look at the headlines of the weekend and predict gloom. If it’s not global warming leading to an abnormal winter, then it’s the situation in […]
