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Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: HankB on February 03, 2009, 08:34:33 AM

Title: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: HankB on February 03, 2009, 08:34:33 AM
Yep, that's right, Indiana Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) is advocating the gas tax be increased.

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/02/03/0203lugar_edit.html

A few salient points from his editorial:

Quote
A gasoline tax is transparent, easy to administer and targeted at the one sector that burns most of our oil.

Quote
We would cut our greenhouse gas emissions

Quote
A revenue-neutral oil security tax would take every penny collected at the pump and put it right back into the pockets of consumers.

Quote
. . . some special provisions may be necessary for individuals and groups disproportionately affected.

He plans to compensate motorists by giving money back in the form of a payroll tax reduction or a check . . . but of course, there's NO information about how he'd pay back families in areas with no public transportation (so they CAN'T ride the bus or train, they HAVE to drive) or if he'd be giving benefits to people who don't drive at all. (I'm betting he will.)

And with "special provisions" for groups "disporportionately affected" (his words, not mine) there's practially infinite opportunity for mischief.

So . . . why should we vote for RINOs who behave as if they're "Democrat Lite" when we can get the real thing?

 :mad:



Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: charby on February 03, 2009, 09:10:23 AM
The Democrat governor of Iowa wants to raise the gas tax $.10 also, claims it will be used to pay for neccessary infrastructure.

Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Ben on February 03, 2009, 09:18:43 AM
Quote
A gasoline tax is transparent

The most evil of all taxes. If I had my way, everyone would pay their sales tax separately, not get payroll deductions, and have to write out checks to pay income tax on April 15 so they can "feel the pain". Transparent taxes are akin to the frog in the slowly heating water.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: makattak on February 03, 2009, 10:25:49 AM
The most evil of all taxes. If I had my way, everyone would pay their sales tax separately, not get payroll deductions, and have to write out checks to pay income tax on April 15 so they can "feel the pain". Transparent taxes are akin to the frog in the slowly heating water.

I agree with all of that except I want people to write the checks on November 1.

Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on February 03, 2009, 11:52:17 AM
We've been trying to vote that bird out of office for decades.  So far no success...

 :|
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: john828 on February 03, 2009, 12:14:09 PM
I write a check every month.  It sucks.  Most citizens don't feel the pain because it is automatically deducted from their checks.  Oh, they may wince a little when they look at the deductions, but they go on their merry way to the bank.  Once you feel the pain by becoming indebted to the government, you'll never view taxes the same.  Taxation without representation was one of the major causes of the first revolution, and it will be one of the major causes in the next albeit a revolution through the electoral process, I hope.  One day, I hope we elect every non-incumbent on the ballot!
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: El Tejon on February 03, 2009, 12:35:02 PM
Dick Lugar=Poster Boy for term limits
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Nick1911 on February 03, 2009, 01:33:25 PM
dick Lugar=Poster Boy for term limits

Ugh, I remember learning about him when I was in 6th grade.

I also remember voting for someone other then him at some point.
Title: deleted
Post by: Don't care on February 03, 2009, 02:17:30 PM
.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: El Tejon on February 03, 2009, 02:38:35 PM
I do not care that the man is inclined the way he is, but I DO care that he is inclined toward Socialism.

Term limits best argument?  Dick Lugar.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Jamisjockey on February 03, 2009, 03:57:59 PM
Being he's from Indiana, I'm sure that he expects to replace the consumption with Ethanol from corn.....
 ;/
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: 41magsnub on February 03, 2009, 11:07:36 PM
Being he's from Indiana, I'm sure that he expects to replace the consumption with Ethanol from corn.....
 ;/

Shush you conspiracy theorist..  there is no possible way he considered that! 
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: El Tejon on February 04, 2009, 03:11:45 PM
Is it a conspiracy if Senator Term Limits is doing it in the open? =D
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: GigaBuist on February 06, 2009, 09:09:26 PM
Quote
Taxation without representation was one of the major causes of the first revolution

Not really.  It was more of a catchy slogan that resonated with people.  Propaganda if you will.

That we remember it 200+ years later shows how effective it was.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Bruce H on February 06, 2009, 10:12:40 PM
Who ever called Dick Lugar a republican was sorely mistaken. Himself calling himself a republican just shows how lying doesn't affect winning politically.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: seeker_two on February 06, 2009, 10:44:03 PM
What's the difference b/t a Luger and Dick Lugar?

Nothing....both are tools used to force socialist policies on citizens....   =D
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Logos on February 08, 2009, 08:39:25 PM
Gas tax is an unfair regressive tax.....what they need to do is jack up the taxes on people who make over $200,00 per year (and close their damned tax loopholes).

This is so simple a baby could figure it out.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: HankB on February 08, 2009, 09:02:21 PM
Gas tax is an unfair regressive tax.....what they need to do is jack up the taxes on people who make over $200,00 per year (and close their damned tax loopholes).

This is so simple a baby could figure it out.
And when your can think about this in more depth than a baby would, you'd realize the REAL solution is to restrict spending . . .
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: MicroBalrog on February 08, 2009, 09:18:09 PM
Gas tax is an unfair regressive tax.....what they need to do is jack up the taxes on people who make over $200,00 per year (and close their damned tax loopholes).



Any tax that taxes one person at 30% of their income and another at 20% is an unfair tax.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Logos on February 08, 2009, 09:39:03 PM
Sure, if they make the same income.

But that doesn't happen.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Logos on February 08, 2009, 09:40:45 PM
And when your can think about this in more depth than a baby would, you'd realize the REAL solution is to restrict spending . . .

No need to get nasty.

I agree with restricting spending, believe me......I'm one of the strongest advocates of restricting spending.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: MicroBalrog on February 08, 2009, 10:06:46 PM
Sure, if they make the same income.

But that doesn't happen.

So you're telling me that it's okay for a person to work for 50% of his time to pay the government, and the other -  for 20%, if one of them earns more money?

That's blatant wealthism right there.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Logos on February 08, 2009, 10:13:32 PM
No.

In truth, forcing someone who makes $10 an hour to pay the same percentage as someone who makes $100 an hour is blatant class warfare against the poor.

Everybody knows that.

Progressive taxation has been around forever.....it's an American tradition.

Creeping Fascism has pecked away at it for about the last 50 years.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: MicroBalrog on February 08, 2009, 10:25:35 PM
Quote
Everybody knows that.

Class warfare is immoral. Whether directed against the rich or the poor.

Quote
Progressive taxation has been around forever.....it's an American tradition.

Let's ignore the fact they needed to amend the Constitution in 1913 to introduce it, shall we? The power to levy direct income taxes did not exist in the Constitution of the Founders.

Quote
Creeping Fascism has pecked away at it for about the last 50 years.

Have you looked at the history of the U.S. Tax Code lately?
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Logos on February 08, 2009, 10:30:57 PM
Wars to protect the poor from oppression are just wars.....and most certainly moral.

Excise taxes were discarded because they were regressive.

The poor have been increasingly oppressed by sales taxes, property taxes and unfair income taxes for the last 50 years.....that's why things are so screwed up now.

I just hope it's not beyond fixing.

Obama has his work cut out for him.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: MicroBalrog on February 08, 2009, 10:33:11 PM
Why should it be moral for me not to pay my fair share, but to impose it on some guy who just happens to earns more than me, just because he's more of a talented singer, or has invested his money more wisely, or got lucky?

Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Manedwolf on February 08, 2009, 10:53:27 PM
Why should it be moral for me not to pay my fair share, but to impose it on some guy who just happens to earns more than me, just because he's more of a talented singer, or has invested his money more wisely, or got lucky?

Because you're not allowed to be more talented. You have to be brought down to the same level as everyone else so they don't feel bad.

The leftist manifesto is "Harrison Bergeron".
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: HankB on February 09, 2009, 08:35:33 AM
The poor have been increasingly oppressed by sales taxes, property taxes and unfair income taxes for the last 50 years.....that's why things are so screwed up now.
I'm not poor, I make a pretty good salary, but I'm far from wealthy. (Unfortunately, congresscritters are paid more than I am.) But even now, I pay more in taxes than I do for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation combined.

And I hear politicians - primarily Democrats - telling me "That's still not enough!!!"  :mad:

The REAL problem is that government at all levels is sucking up about $6,000,000,000,000 a year - a number that's growing faster than the GDP, which is around $14,000,000,000,000.

That's unsustainable.

Note that the greater part of our national debt comes from LBJ's "Great Society" programs . . . trillions of dollars which may as well have been flushed down the toilet for all the good they're doing. Rolling these back would do a lot to put the country back on the right course.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: makattak on February 09, 2009, 09:26:04 AM
No.

In truth, forcing someone who makes $10 an hour to pay the same percentage as someone who makes $100 an hour is blatant class warfare against the poor.

Everybody knows that.

Progressive taxation has been around forever.....it's an American tradition.

Creeping Fascism has pecked away at it for about the last 50 years.

Sooooo.... At a 10% tax rate, asking one guy to pay $1 for the same services that the other guy pays $10 for is unfair... To the guy paying $1.

I just wanted to make sure I understood your "logic."

Also, I bolded and italicized your logical fallacy, there: Appeal to widespread belief.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Logos on February 09, 2009, 10:08:59 AM
Sorry.....everybody except you and your ilk knows that.

Now it's logical and true.

 =D

Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Nitrogen on February 09, 2009, 10:18:38 AM
Gas tax is an unfair regressive tax.....what they need to do is jack up the taxes on people who make over $200,00 per year (and close their damned tax loopholes).

This is so simple a baby could figure it out.
While this is one way (and probably better than what we have now) I'd rather get rid of all these taxes on this, that, and the other thing and have a straight consumption tax.  That way, your tax bill is directly controlable by you.  Don't want to pay taxes?  Make your own stuff!

Back when I made 150k/year, I didn't sweat the taxes; I could afford them.  Now that I make 1/3 of that, yeah, I sweat the taxes quite a bit.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Logos on February 09, 2009, 10:48:00 AM
Quote
Back when I made 150k/year, I didn't sweat the taxes; I could afford them.  Now that I make 1/3 of that, yeah, I sweat the taxes quite a bit.

There you go.

Exactly my point.

We need fair taxation.

The definition of that is equal pain for all.  For MANY years the poor have felt all the tax pain and the rich have felt no tax pain.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Manedwolf on February 09, 2009, 10:49:21 AM
There you go.

Exactly my point.

We need fair taxation.

The definition of that is equal pain for all.  For MANY years the poor have felt all the tax pain and the rich have felt no tax pain.

Oh, right. Punish the rich. The rich are bad.

Your sort makes me SICK. :P

When was the last time a poor person gave you a job?
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Logos on February 09, 2009, 10:54:25 AM
It's not a matter of punishing the rich.

Those of us who have it real good are reaping the benefits of this great country America.

Since we reap the benefits of that opportunity, we have an obligation to share our wealth......after all, who fought all the wars and died and bled for this country......the rich?

I don't think so.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Manedwolf on February 09, 2009, 10:58:44 AM
Since we reap the benefits of that opportunity, we have an obligation to share our wealth
NO WE DO NOT!

Goddamn communists. They're like roaches. Can spray, but they're still scuttling around in the shadows waiting to come out every time you turn your back.

Just get the hell out of the country till you understand it. Go someplace like Cuba, or North Korea, see how your "idea" has worked so well. You need to travel and see how stupid these ideas are, how they have always failed and always will fail, and result in misery.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: ronnyreagan on February 09, 2009, 11:00:49 AM
we have an obligation to share our wealth

Now you're just trying to agitate them aren't you?
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Logos on February 09, 2009, 11:02:21 AM
No, that's what I honestly believe.

Not only that, I'm correct.

Who fought those wars?

Who bled and died?

The rich?

No.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Ben on February 09, 2009, 11:03:43 AM
No longer polite.

Actually nevermind on the thread lock.

Logos -- you may have perceived the many messages you received from moderators as warnings. They were not. They were mathematical equations with binary solution sets. Sorry to see you chose "0". Fail.  So long jackass.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: makattak on February 09, 2009, 11:16:16 AM
No longer polite.

Actually nevermind on the thread lock.

Logos -- you may have perceived the many messages you received from moderators as warnings. They were not. They were mathematical equations with binary solution sets. Sorry to see you chose "0". Fail.  So long jackass.

Dang it! I had a wonderful reply about how society owes the rich, not the other way around.

Then the thread was locked and now it's gone....

Ah well, in summary:

Rich people don't owe society, society owes them.

For every dollar I have, it represents that I supplied a good or service to someone who valued that good or service in excess of that dollar.

The dollar is an IOU from society that says: We took $1 of value from you. Sometime in the future you can use this $1 to get value from someone else in society.

Thus, people who have a LOT of these IOUs are OWED by society. Not the other way around.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Manedwolf on February 09, 2009, 11:22:24 AM
Dang it! I had a wonderful reply about how society owes the rich, not the other way around.

Then the thread was locked and now it's gone....

Ah well, in summary:

Rich people don't owe society, society owes them.

For every dollar I have, it represents that I supplied a good or service to someone who valued that good or service in excess of that dollar.

The dollar is an IOU from society that says: We took $1 of value from you. Sometime in the future you can use this $1 to get value from someone else in society.

Thus, people who have a LOT of these IOUs are OWED by society. Not the other way around.

It just really bothers me that there's so many people who don't understand that, who are voting, and who are destroying the country I love.

It's like a bunch of blank-eyed, dancing idiots cheering as they throw all the copies of everything the founding fathers wrote onto a fire, because they're cold at the moment and that makes them warm. Until it's all gone.

It's depressing.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: HankB on February 09, 2009, 11:25:58 AM
Too many people think they have a claim on the fruits of SOMEONE ELSE's labor.  :mad:
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Nitrogen on February 09, 2009, 11:26:40 AM
I absolutely hate it whenever anyone says (or means) "share the wealth" because that's ABSOLUTELY NOT what I am advocating.

When I was making a ton of money, I had no problem shouldering a bit more of a burden to help pay for things that needed paying for, like roads and other infrastructure and things the country needs.

I am absolutely NOT for giving a portion of my check to "those less well off", as "sharing the wealth" seems to say.

The only way I'm for "helping folks" with my tax money is providing things for the common good, like roads, etc.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Nick1911 on February 09, 2009, 11:28:06 AM
It just really bothers me that there's so many people who don't understand that, who are voting, and who are destroying the country I love.

It's like a bunch of blank-eyed, dancing idiots cheering as they throw all the copies of everything the founding fathers wrote onto a fire, because they're cold at the moment and that makes them warm. Until it's all gone.

It's depressing.

It seems few people really sit down and consider the nature of money.  What exactly it is, and what it represents.
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: seeker_two on February 09, 2009, 04:47:38 PM
I'd be OK with paying taxes if I thought our gov't was using the tax money responsibly. History and recent proposed spending bills prove that this is not the case. Just like a responsible lender, you don't give money to someone who'll waste it, not pay you back (in services and stewardship), and then come back with guns to demand more from you. Either spend my tax money responsibly or give it back to someone who will......like ME!

Logos: I have threequestions for you:

1. Are you rich?
2. Even if you are not legally required to, do you voluntarily give the majority of your earnings to the Federal Government?
3. If the answer to #2 is "NO", why do you not do so?
Title: Re: Indiana Republican: Raise the Gas Tax
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on February 09, 2009, 05:59:52 PM
I'm not rich yet, but I plan to be someday.

I'd like to know what gives guys like Logos the right to steal away so much of my money.