tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post7134936279645484775..comments2023-08-21T02:29:21.326-05:00Comments on St. Louis Activist Hub: Is An 87.5% Vote for the E-Tax A Mandate AGAINST the E-Tax??Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post-24356596456305288042011-04-12T12:17:33.018-05:002011-04-12T12:17:33.018-05:00their idea of how to reduce the earnings tax will ...their idea of how to reduce the earnings tax will almost certainly IMO include raising fees on various items . Already they have raised the fees for trash pickup. This was before the recycle dumpsters were added, and it wasn't dealt with straightforwardly...we want to add a service. Instead it was about how we already got better trash collection than elsewhere and the cost needed to be better covered. Now, I love the recycle dumpsters, although I was recycling at the dumpsters in the park near where I live, and I like them. But for some reason the city can never just say what it is they want . Instead, they use some convoluted subterfuge to get it. Would voters have protested if the city had said...we want to raise the fees so we can implement recycle dumpsters in the alleys? I don't know. But it burns me up that they can never be straight. Apparently they think they know best and the only way to get what they want is by some circuitous method. Another likely target is trying to privatize city water. I think that (so far) requires voter approval, but in the past attempts to modify the city charters have been voted down , precisely because the end result is perceived (in my view) as the beginning of some kind of subterfuge. And rightly so. I would adamantly oppose privatizing city water, because it means loss of control of a valuable resource (sure to become more valuable in the coming years), and because prices almost always go up when that happens. But its appeal to government officials is that it's a quick way to get an infusion of cash. Long term it's lousy, but short term, it's something they fall for every time. And so forth. Maybe they want to 'streamline' taxes. But I do not for one minute trust them or the Post Dispatch (which mostly parrots the positions of these officials) to make any sane argument for changing anything. Instead, they do it by lying, and wonder why people don't trust them. They sold the Carondelet community center in Carondelet park as a 'community' project, and then had it run by the YMCA with fees similar to Y fees. How do they expect any trust when they do things like that? Did any one get a lot of calls around election time asking if they thought the number of aldermen was too many? Apparently they think the fewer the people representing us, the better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post-47709429467226498642011-04-10T13:31:21.487-05:002011-04-10T13:31:21.487-05:00For an examle of incredibly biased "jounalism...For an examle of incredibly biased "jounalism: see David Nicklaus Earnings tax is tip of broader debate on city's future. PD 04/10/2011<br /><br />I will try to write something up later todaymarkmagashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14654537574252198576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post-47985469323318234512011-04-08T12:41:19.187-05:002011-04-08T12:41:19.187-05:00My letter to the Post Dispatch (via the recent Job...My letter to the Post Dispatch (via the recent Jobs /w Justice email alert):<br /><br />Why I voted for Proposition E<br /><br />I voted for the Proposition E in the recent election to retain the St. Louis city earnings tax, since I understand the city has a obligation to provide essential services and infrastructure to its citizens. Likewise, I understand that the city's residents and workers have an obligation in their social contract to cooperatively support the cost of these services and infrastructure.<br /><br />I believe that the current 1% earnings tax is a fair way to share this cost evenly, because unlike sales tax, this is a progressive tax which does not unduly burden the city's lower-income residents.<br /><br />Furthermore, I remember hearing the city's revenue collector saying in a public meeting late last year that approximately 90 million dollars of the city's yearly earnings tax revenue comes from out-of-town workers, i.e. people who commute to the city to their jobs.<br /><br />Since such out-of-town works, who still use St. Louis services and infrastructure in course of their jobs, purchase much fewer goods in town than city residents, I believe that replacing the earnings tax with an increased sale tax, for example, would invariably create a greater tax burden on St. Louis residents. Likewise for increased property tax, trash collection fees, water fees, etc.<br /><br />I do not believe these alternatives to the current earnings tax are fair to the residents of St. Louis.Ben Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04662894573682795215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post-20365168036616794142011-04-07T17:05:18.316-05:002011-04-07T17:05:18.316-05:00your best piece to date!your best piece to date!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16938803793590747688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post-45055591264522434232011-04-07T13:09:48.616-05:002011-04-07T13:09:48.616-05:00Well stated, Adam!Well stated, Adam!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post-77233751206486032452011-04-07T12:15:47.219-05:002011-04-07T12:15:47.219-05:00When I last spoke to the Mayor at a neighborhood m...When I last spoke to the Mayor at a neighborhood meeting about a month ago, he had mentioned the concept of eventually cutting the earnings tax to a half precent. <br />I like the earnings tax, but if other ideas (like charging people not living in St Louis City or County for admission to the Zoo, etc) made enough money the tax could be reduced.Reese Forbeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13496515956310499643noreply@blogger.com