🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <38lrsf$cic@news.utdallas.edu>, goyal@utdallas.edu (Mohit K Goyal) writes:

|> Welfare currently takes up a whopping **1%** of the federal
|> budget.  Welfare reform will in all likelihood, end up costing more
|> than the current system.

Unfortunately it takes up a SIGNIFICANT portion of 
state and county budgets. I haven't been directly involved 
since I moved to Texas, but in Ulster County NY, it directly
resulted in a 3/4 percent increase in the county sales tax, 
and regularly added to the property tax rate. I pay more taxes 
on a piece of prperty appraised at $66K in 
NY than I do on a property appraised at $125K 
in Texas even including the 'mandatory' service fees in 
Austin, not to mention approximately 8% income tax. Not surprising
NY has a Democratic governor and what has been toted as 
the Cadillac of Welfare systems.

More insidious than the direct taxes is the economic effects. 
Rents in Ulster county are still close to what they are here in 
Austin, despite an economic slowdown that rivals the mid 80's in 
Texas. However, since section 8 is still paying higher rates, 
( which is good for me the landlord), there is no incentive to 
lower rates. As a result, people in the lower wage categories 
still can not afford rent. So the poor and the rich win, 
but the middle class get screwed. 


Jeff Gaer

My Own Opinions