[Rhodes22-list] Taxes & Politics

Wally Buck tnrhodey@hotmail.com
Thu, 23 Jan 2003 11:55:41 -0500


I don't know how the public got tricked into funding these stadiums and 
arenas. I say if a team doesn't want to stay let them go. If they can't run 
their business and make money without taxpayer help then something is wrong 
with their business model. If it weren’t for the fact that I have gotten 
free tickets to major league sports I would never go. It is not worth the 
money.

The taxpayers in Memphis pay for a new arena for their NBA team. This team 
is awful. Unless Jerry West turns it around I predict that low fan turnout 
will have them moving on to a new city in five years. Then Memphis will have 
two nice arenas for UM and the circus.

I do like the minor league stadium you guys have downtown, was this built 
with tax money as well?

Wally


>From: brad haslett <flybrad@yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Taxes & Politics
>Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 06:22:07 -0800 (PST)
>
>Wally,
>
>The last crime stat I read puts us about number four
>but that constantly changes depending on who's doing
>the reporting.  I fly mostly days but when I do work
>nights its with the cell phone on and a straight shot
>to the suburbs..... You're right, the Pyramid wasn't
>good enough for the NBA because it didn't have enough
>corporate suites.  My thought was; if there are that
>many corporations that want basketball, let them build
>the arena.  Boy am I dumb!... Right again, I buy
>everything I can online.  If they pass an income tax
>were outta here.  Florida or Texas.  I hear New
>Hampshire is caving in on the tax thing and Washington
>is a longer commute than I want to make. At the very
>least I'd move back to Nashville or your end of the
>state so you can turn off the TV and pretend none of
>this exists. Its difficult to listen to others propose
>their solutions to social problems when you are
>frontline witness to so much waste, corruption, and
>failed agendas.
>
>Brad Haslett
>--- Wally Buck <tnrhodey@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Brad,
> >
> > Actually I had no idea things were that bad in
> > Shelby County. I did hear on
> > the radio that Memphis now has the nations highest
> > rate of violent crime. Is
> > this true? I never did understand why a new arena
> > was needed. I guess it
> > didn't have enough corporate suites? It seems like
> > this thing was just
> > built. What a waste of tax payers money.
> >
> >
> > My biggest fear is that they will roll in an income
> > tax and keep the sales
> > tax at the current rate. I would be for a TN state
> > income tax on wages but
> > only after a major overhaul of current tax
> > structure. The high sales tax is
> > easy to get around and soon we will see revenues
> > from sales tax drop, unless
> > of course it is raised even higher. I order just
> > about everythihng I can on
> > line, usually with no sales tax.
> >
> > Wally
> >
> > >From: brad haslett <flybrad@yahoo.com>
> > >Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> > >To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> > >Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Taxes & Politics
> > >Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 05:42:18 -0800 (PST)
> > >
> > >Wally,
> > >
> > >Since we seem to be the only Tenneseans I'm aware
> > of
> > >on the list I'll keep this discussion local in
> > nature.
> > >  As you are probably aware, Shelby County
> > (Memphis)
> > >has more debt than the rest of Tennessee combined.
> > >Plus, were adding another $250 million to the
> > existing
> > >$1.3 billion to build a basketball stadium.  Of
> > course
> > >we have the Pyramid that isn't paid for yet.  The
> > last
> > >number I heard was that 60% plus of the states
> > social
> > >welfare spending went to Shelby County.  The
> > Memphis
> > >city schools have two years to clean their act up
> > or
> > >be taken over by the State.  Yesterday, Mayor
> > Herenton
> > >announced plans to have the county take over the
> > city
> > >schools since he failed to have the city merge with
> > >the county schools under his command.  Whats my
> > point?
> > >  You can't possibly throw enough money toward this
> > end
> > >of the state and solve all the problems.  There is
> > >more than just dirty water flowing down the
> > >Mississippi.  We have the fourth most regressive
> > tax
> > >structure in the Nation in TN.  I would be all for
> > an
> > >income tax and a reduction or elimination of a
> > sales
> > >tax if the problems got fixed.  They won't.
> > TennCare
> > >is broken and thank God we didn't get a socialized
> > >medicine program like it Nationwide, not that its a
> > >bad idea in theory, but it just isn't working.  If
> > I
> > >look at all this from a purely a self-interested
> > >perspective, lets pass a state income tax and make
> > it
> > >a big one.  This sink hole I live in will suck off
> > the
> > >bulk of the revenue and maybe my property taxes
> > will
> > >go down to keep the county out of bankruptcy.  To
> > all
> > >of you who live elsewhere, remember;  what works on
> > a
> > >micro scale works on a macro scale as well.  I get
> > >excited thinking about all that Connecticut money
> > we
> > >can get our hands on and how quickly we can make it
> > >dissapear!
> > >
> > >Brad Haslett
> > >--- Wally Buck <tnrhodey@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > > Bill,
> > > >
> > > > I did say we needed to throw the tax book out
> > and
> > > > start over. I realize a
> > > > flat tax alone is not the answer.
> > > >
> > > > Wally
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > >From: Bill Berner <bberner@optonline.net>
> > > > >Reply-To: bberner@optonline.net,The Rhodes 22
> > mail
> > > > list
> > > > ><rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> > > > >To: 'The Rhodes 22 mail list'
> > > > <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> > > > >Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Taxes & Politics
> > > > >Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 21:32:40 -0500
> > > > >
> > > > >Wally -
> > > > >
> > > > >I respectfully disagree that a flat tax on
> > wages
> > > > would be fair.  Because
> > > > >when you add in all of the other taxes and fees
> > > > that must be paid for
> > > > >everyone it would shift a disproportionate
> > amount
> > > > of total taxes to
> > > > >those in the middle and lower income brackets,
> > > > creating a seriously
> > > > >regressive tax system.
> > > > >
> > > > >Bill Berner
> > > > >191 South Broadway
> > > > >Hastings on Hudson, NY  10706
> > > > >
> > > > >v 914 478 2896
> > > > >f 914 478 3856
> > > > >e BBerner@optonline.net
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >-----Original Message-----
> > > > >From: rhodes22-list-bounces@rhodes22.org
> > > > >[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces@rhodes22.org] On
> > > > Behalf Of Wally Buck
> > > > >Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 3:39 PM
> > > > >To: rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org
> > > > >Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Taxes & Politics
> > > > >
> > > > >Stan,
> > > > >
> > > > >Usuall discliamer - hit delete now if not
> > > > interested in taxes -
> > > > >
> > > > >I agree with some of what you said -
> > > > >
> > > > > >Just tried to
> > > > > >point out that if you cut taxes for some, you
> > > > raise them for others.
> > > > >
> > > > >This is not true!!!! You are missing one
> > critical
> > > > piece of the formula,
> > > > >you
> > > > >forgot to cut spending.
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >Re your wish for a flat tax, Bill B points
> > out
> > > > that in effect we
> > > > >already
> > > > > >have that.
> > > > >
> > > > >Well Bill tried to point that out, but he is
> > wrong.
> > > > We actually don't
> > > > >have a
> > > > >flat tax on wages. See IRS tax schedule if
> > there
> > > > are any doubts. If you
> > > > >throw in all of the other various taxes it
> > might
> > > > approach a flat tax
> > > > >overall
> > > > >but that is not the same thing. I think a flat
> > tax
> > > > on wages is fair. I
> > > > >also
> > > > >said we need to throw out the IRS book and
> > start
> > > > over.
> > > > >
> > > > >More tax cutting will make the low end pay even
> > a
> > > > higher
> > > > > >percentage of their earning towards their
> > total
> > > > tax burden compared to
> > > > > >the wealthy end.
> > > > >
> > > > >If we had a flat tax how would this be true? If
> > you
> >
>=== message truncated ===
>
>
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