Taxation without representation is child's play compared to this...

These self anointed tax mavens go on and on regarding how their tax money is spent on people they perceive as undeserving.

They seem genuinely upset about how these people live. They'll do just about anything to set things "right", like punishing children, putting families out on the streets. Strictly punitive. Strictly smug authoritarians IMO.

They are so incredibly blind and/or ignorant about the massive corporate welfare in the US. The $ amounts are staggering, but it's not the worst abuse of taxpayers, which brings me to my rant topic.

Paying civil judgments for illegal, aggressive and hyper-violent law enforcement. While no accurate official statistics are available, one recent private study rolls up 5 major metros between 2006 and 2010 and the number is close to $150,000,000. This comes straight from the general funds, not the police budgets which are already between 30-60% of entire budgets.

This is criminal racketeering in my view. Where are the Tea Party Patriots when absolutely grievous misallocation of tax money is taking place? I give no quarter to Tea Party because they are people that want to control others they target people that can't defend themselves instead of going after the real abusers. I have zero respect for that flagrant hypocrisy. Dump these Koch hood ornaments.

a reply to: InverseLookingGlass

Well said. As for the hood ornaments, do they normally do harm to people? When corporatists only think in terms of self-aggrandisement such as making corporations equal to humans, don't we have a case for nefarious, devious and irrational thinking? I know of some people who were put in nursing homes for much less.

originally posted by: InverseLookingGlass
This comes straight from the general funds, not the police budgets which are already between 30-60% of entire budgets.

What cities are you using for that figure? I know New York has a $4-5 billion budget but the overall city budget is over $70 billion. Not that either one of those numbers is a great thing but the percentage you quoted seems way off.

You mean like Bank of 'Merica™ foreclosing on ALL those homes illegally, getting caught, getting fined and then writing off $6B of that fine? I read where the State of Flori-Duh, my current ecological niche, got $330 Million to blow while the 'average Fl. citizen, whose house was stolen, whose possessions were lost, received an average of $1400.00.

Because it is Monday, let Us not forget those other 'tax scofflaws' the NFL™ who haven't paid taxes since 1966, whose fans get to buy the Billion $$ $tadium$ but not share in the income from 'naming rights', parking.. It is usually sold to the taxpaying sucker as a 'hotel tax' that has a 'rider'.. These addendum's are never mentioned, not like the 40% that do turn out to vote read the pamphlets..

a reply to: InverseLookingGlass
America is now a Corporate Fascist State run by a sickening lot of bastards.

a reply to: JimNasium

Well Jim, let me also point this out. This is a 'factoid' that I omitted earlier. While We are "trading facts" how about this novel idea. ALL religions™ who enjoy 'tax free' status will have to pay taxes and do so until the budget is balanced. Wasn't that whole idea of 'them' being 'tax free'? Because 'they' continue to line their pocket with riches, build new shrines, "the flock" go hungry... If the Churches did their job the folks who are getting screwed wouldn't be a burden on the Gov't. and then We can act like We have some sense...

namaste

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

LA county sheriff
LAPD
Oakland PD
CHP
Santa Ana
San Diego

Although not very easy to find, search for the total law enforcement budget (remember settlements don't come from the police budget) as a % of the total budget. Larger areas have a smaller% of the total but San Jose, the 10th largest city in the US is running 40-50% range.

a reply to: InverseLookingGlass

I think you are misreading the San Jose statistics. The general fund, which is about 30% of the over all budget, covers the police and numerous other sectors.

San Jose will see its total budget shrink from $2.8 billion to $2.5 billion. The general fund budget, which supports basic services such as police and fire protection, parks, libraries and roadwork, will dwindle about 14 percent from $954 million to $819 million. Source

a reply to: InverseLookingGlass

You are correct about corporate welfare, the government, the TV commontaters, the shock jock who have all trained to focus on welfare for individuals, choose to say nothing abut corporate welfare. This is likely to be because they dare not talk about it as from what I can see, corporate welfare is an undiscussable topic all over the western world.

Welfare for individuals is demonized, those who receive it are demonised and are held responsibility for all the respective nations economic problems. Its odd how those who exert the least control over the national economic fortunes are help accountable for poor economic performance.

Is the fact that TV, radio, social commontaters, shock jocks etc do not talk about corporate welfare because no one has told them about it? Is it because they have not thought about it themselves? Is it because they believe that because there are no figures published about how much tax goes in corporate welfare, that they therefore don't believe it exists?

In my country this very day I hear on the news that people who don't deserve welfare are giving tips on a website on how to get it. If this is not demonising the poor the unemployed, the old, the sick and the infirm what is?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

This is a deliberate attempt to make welfare for individuals a 4 letter word while saying nothing about corporate welfare. How much tax is paid out in corporate welfare in the OECD each year I wonder ???