Common Sense on Taxes and a Struggling Economy

In this portion of our world, the county transit agency has scheduled a vote of the people to raise the sales tax devoted to transit by 50%. Outside of the arguments that the transit system is mismanaged, grossly inefficient and controlled by government employee unions, the management Board of the agency  thinks it is a great idea to raise taxes.  In an economy with unemployment around 9.5%, the business climate extremely sluggish, recently announced shutdowns of local stores and restaurants, layoffs still coming in many industries, etc., common sense would recommend lowering or eliminating taxes, not raising them.  Taking more tax money from the taxpayers on nearly every transaction they make only reduces their disposable income (that has already been hit and reduced for so many other reasons) and takes money from the productive parts of the economy and redistributes the money to non or lesser productive parts. Common sense says take the time of reduced ridership and reshape the transit system into something that doesn't just serve the unions and bureaucrats but more effectively serves the people who have to or choose to use an inefficient system that is gobbling ever-increasing chunks of taxpayer cash.

Our society needs an effective and fiscally efficient means of transporting people. However, common sense should rule and human nature says the people enjoy the freedom of using their own vehicles to take them where they want to go when they want to go there. Common sense also says that not everybody can afford to have their own car. Common sense again says that hauling 0-5 people around in a 25,000#+ bus is not the best way to do the job. Out here on the Left Coast the idealistic lawmakers have too long been trying to make the environment for having the freedom to use our vehicles as painful as possible.  They have done this to try to force us to give up the freedom and security of our cars and force us onto transit.  Common sense and experience tells us that Americans don't take giving up their freedom lightly. Don't let them take it .3% at a time...

ComSens