Wednesday, February 23, 2011

You pay at the pump for their pensions

As gas price increases hit the news don't forget the Oregon went and raised their tax by $0.06/gallon on January 1. Oregon now collects $0.30/gallon every time you fill up.

But don't worry, this isn't going to maintain or construct any roads, Kitzhaber will use this money to shore up the teacher's union by giving the gas tax money to the state police and then giving the state police money to PERS... I mean, the teachers.

18 comments:

Scotty Scott's Contracting said...

Missouri has its fair share of typical political dealings also... Good Luck, especially with the Oil Industries/markets at $100 / barrel today.

Anonymous said...

We never had to worry about money for the schools and roads when we logged timber. Now we find out the logger was not the enemy of that little fluffy spotten owl, but another owl. Now the feds are going to send biologists into the forrest to shoot those Bard owls..so we can list them next.

Anonymous said...

We never had to worry about money for the schools and roads when we logged timber...

So are you from some other continent and recently moved here, or were you just born yesterday?

Anonymous said...

Only in the midst of a full-blown revolution of historic propotions sweeping across the Middle East, with all its entirely predictable and related turmoil in the profit-driven oil markets, would little Daniel Miglavs skip by and whine that gas prices are going up so consumers can pay for "their" (teachers) pensions. Dream on, Miglavs. Nothing to see here.

Anonymous said...

845 I was born in Oregon in 1967. Perhaps you need to read up on how the money from timber was spent. I SAY LOG IT NOW TIME TO SAVE THE SPOTTED OWL FROM THE ENVIRO WACKOS.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations. I was born in 1962. And I don't need to read about it. I lived it.

Anonymous said...

Well then you remember it was not just the timber receipts, but people had jobs. And not just “jobs” but good paying jobs $20+ an hour in the woods in the
70’s and 80’s. Oregon did not have 8-10% unemployment. In other words we had more tax payers...

Like I said, Oregon did not have a funding problem before the liars in the ENVIORNMENTAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX came to Oregon with their bullshit!

Anonymous said...

I graduated from Oregon State University in 1990 my last term tuition cost was $659.00 for up to 18 credits. I just went to the university website and they say that 16 credits will now cost $3760 tuition for one term. That is quite an increase don’t you think?

Anonymous said...

Um ... yeah, so what's your point? That the Spotted owl is to blame for high tuition? You hate inflation? Or are you complaining that universities are having to rely more upon USER fees than taxes?

That degree you got in 1990 ... oh, never mind. I won't say it.

Anonymous said...

I am 100% certain my point is.. we had more money when we logged. I guess if you can not understand that...you must have that liberal mental disease that runs rampant in Oregon.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, and we had more bell-bottom jeans, but that doesn't mean there's a relationship. In case you hadn't noticed, as logging faded, we got another little industry called high-tech. You're also ignoring the fact that in the last two decades, we have completely changed our taxation system in Oregon (thanks to a criminal by the name of Bill Sizemore) and that also sorta maybe mighta had an effect on school funding. Moron.

Anonymous said...

As for logging, some of you seem to forget that Oregon already logs all the timber it can sell. Opening up more logging areas would not solve any economic problems, as you still have to have someone to sell those logs to!

In recent years, many logging operations have had to lay off people. And you know why? Because the worldwide demand for timber plummeted. Demand peaked at 40.5 million board feet in 2005. In 2010, demand was at about 25 million board feet.

So blaming environmentalists is a canard. That argument might gain some traction amongst right-wingers who don't understand economics, and who tend to substitute emotions for facts, but it won't wash with anyone else.

As for gas prices, I laugh everytime I hear Americans bitch and moan about gas prices. Our gas is comparatively cheap when compared to other industrial countries. That's why there are so many gas guzzling cars on our roads. Go to Europe and pay $8/gallon for gas. Then come back here and tell me gas is expensive in America.

But, bitching about taxes and how we're "overtaxed" is a conservative past-time. The facts never stand in the way of a good right-wing rant. And the fact is, overall taxation in 2011, is significantly lower than what it was for most of the 20th century. But you'll never hear right-wingers acknowledge that, because it would take the wind right out of their "we're overtaxed!" sails.

I just did my income taxes last weekend (TurboTax is great, BTW). My wife and I earned a combined $107,654. This means our marginal tax rate is 25%. That's a lot of money in taxes, right? But after taking normal deductions, our nominal federal tax rate (what we actually paid) was 13%. And we don't even have kids! If we did, our nominal tax rate would likely be around or even under 10%. But acccording to right-wingers, I'm supposed to bellyache that I'm over-taxed?

Migalvs, go fill up your gas tank and just be glad that your gas is so cheap.

Anonymous said...

I stubbed my toe in the shower this morning. It's Daniel Miglavs' fault.

Anonymous said...

Miglavs must be off his game. I would have thought he'd find a way to blame rising gas prices on illegal immigration.

Anonymous said...

As for logging, some of you seem to forget that Oregon already logs all the timber it can sell. NOT TRUE!!!

Oregon has more trees today then 100 years ago.

oh...and we are still logging some of them.

Anonymous said...

I attended OSU in 1966 and the tuition was $110.

Anonymous said...

If the state wants to save money, cut off the food assistance and free babysitter (public school) to the illegals and watch us go from the red to a surplus. Let's fix our roads, eh?

Nick Borriello said...

Take this survey to help the League of Women Voters of Oregon if you are a woman over age 25.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XW698CD

Thank you!