🚀 go-pugleaf

Gordon D. Pusch wrote:
> 
> In article <APC&1'0'5765fb62'92a@igc.apc.org> Tom Gray
> <tomgray@igc.apc.org> writes:
> 
> > One thing I think you should add, though, is that taxes on pollution
> > should be used to reduce personal income taxes.  I think people will be
> > much more open to the concept of environmental taxes if the revenue is
> > used to lower other taxes.  This frees the debate from the traditional
> > criticism that environmentalists are big-government, tax-and-spend
> > liberals and allows people to focus more on the merits.

I agree...your argument makes sense.
 
> You seem to be under a misapprehension about the way things are
> done, here in the ``Land of the Fee, and the Home of the Slave:''
> =ALL= revenues =MUST= go into the ``General Fund'' =BY LAW=.
> It is =ILLEGAL= to designate =WHERE= revenues raised by a given tax
> shall be spent.  In fact, it is =ILLEGAL= even for Gov't agencies
> to accept a =DONATION= to a specific program; they must turn over
> such donations to the Treasury Dept. --- where it will be placed into
> (you guessed it!) the General Fund.

It may in fact be the law now, but it definitely was not always.  While 
ranting and raving about the tax-and-spend liberals, Ronnie Reagan spent 
a couple of trillion dollars on the military that he didn't have; to keep 
the figures from scaring the public to death, his administration tossed 
SSA and highway trust funds into the pot.  This isn't conjecture, it is 
fact.  Now, before you ask me for proof, I'll remind you that, like you, 
I'm not a lawmaker.  I could gather the facts, but why should I--the 
Press has alread done so, back in the 80s while the thievery was being 
committed.  But the people were so in love with Ronnie that nobody 
listened.  Likewise, nowadays, as long as Newtie says the things the 
common man wants to hear, they don't watch his hands.  Cut the deficit, 
he says, and tries to gut environmental protections--he wants to sell the 
national parks, for three cents on the dollar!  Taxes are too high, he 
says, and proposes a 15% tax cut: about $70 to a guy making $50 grand a 
year; $10,000, average, for a rich man.  Medicare/Medicaid is going 
bankrupt, he says--let's get it under control.  So what does he do?  To a 
bill that would slash $250 billion from benefits paid to the neediest 
segment of society, he attaches a rider that would give a $200 billion 
windfall to the wealthy.

Newtie and his pals are magicians.  Don't watch a Right-Wing 
Republican's lips; watch his hands.