Comments on: What Next… Water?!

By: Taxpayer

Taxpayer — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:15:14 +0000

If this crazy discussion leads us to a real discussion on a flat tax, then it is all been worth it.
I can’t believe how many folks around here don’t have a sense of humor!

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:44:19 +0000

Maybe it’s time to seriously consider the “Fair Tax”…..

By: Patricia

Patricia — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:54:29 +0000

Rep Frank:
I really think you are serious about a caffeine tax – and I did watch your video. Taxes on everything, and yet the tax burden is not equal. Why don’t you consider a straight percentage tax? It would be much fairer to all people no matter their income.

It is time to tax sugar, flour, cream & fried foods……they make those who are “addicted” to food consume more, so tax them additional penalty taxes. Every person who is arrested for illegal drug use should be taxed – before they get bailed out of jail! Every pregnant mother who is addicted to drugs should be taxed – it damages the baby and increases the hospital bills. I also want to tax anybody who idles their car – the pollution is so harmful to my asthmatic children. Let’s tax food dye colors in food, which are harmful (get my point?).

By: Rep. Craig Frank

Rep. Craig Frank — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:29:14 +0000

Sorry, it’s Item #145 in HJR21…if you’re looking.

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:27:52 +0000

And I’ll say again, I should not be punished for being willing to step up and care for those who had no one else to care for them.
As you know, my children are in school. And “playing legislator”? Hardly. How about “playing reporter”? At least be accurate.

By: John T

John T — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:30:54 +0000

Holly, no one is slamming big families. I am merely making a statement of fact that those Utahns who choose to have their large families in all fairness should pay more in taxes to educate those same children and not less as the current system allows.

Our state has the largest class size as well as the lowest per pupil expenditure in the United States due entirely to the extremely high birthrate of the members of the LDS church. I think it is unfair for those who choose not to have a flock of children to have to support those who do by paying much higher state taxes since they don’t have the large number of deductions.

By the way, if you in fact have a houseful of children why aren’t you home taking care of your kids instead of spending 8 hours a day playing legislator on the hill? Oh wait, I think I know the answer already. : )

By: Holly

Holly — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:05:54 +0000

Al, I hear you are frustrated, but you are taking it out on the wrong guy.
Interim “study” simply means it COULD be discussed during the 10 months between the end of one session and the beginning of another. There are some 200 ideas on the master study list. It’s not a “bill”, in that it will not become law, but simply a list of items people want to talk over some more – the fishing bill from this year, for example, or licensing a new profession. Rep Frank is one of several legislators that staunchly opposes putting their grubby hands into tax-payer pockets, as you so kindly put it. If they even do “study” the caffeine issue, which I find unlikely, there will be no tax payer dollars expended unless it is the daily rate lawmakers receive – averaging less than $10 an hour, btw.

If you have specific areas of waste that you have seen, report them at http://utahwastebuster.blogspot.com – they take you seriously.

By: Al

Al — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:49:15 +0000

So your “jest” was passed by a bunch of Legislators too lazy to do their jobs of reading and understanding what their voting on? Study it up. Any way you and your fellow politicians can put your grubby little hands deeper into the taxpayers pockets. Better yet maybe you could propose a study for a tax on those with bowels and tax the number of times they move them a day?

Also, how much is this study going to cost the taxpayers of Utah? If there is anywhere you can find fraud, waste and abuse it is definately located in the government offices throughout this country. Maybe the next campaign you run the slogan can be “Forget about the big issues, we’ve got smaller ones to deal with.”

By: Rep. Craig Frank

Rep. Craig Frank — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:32:57 +0000

Al: The “bill” (HJR21) in this case is the annual Master Study Resolution. The Master Study Resolution is nothing more than a list of very loosely requested POTENTIAL interim study subjects that may (or may not) be picked up by Legislative Management Committee or Committee Chairs for their consideration during the 2009 Interim. This bill is a LIST…a Resolution…and certainly non-binding…it never becomes LAW…and…never signed by the Governor…I’d hate to think he’d VETO the Resolution because of Item #149. The “Caffeine” item was #149 out of #199.

By the way, to reinforce the fact that this “bill” is a loose framework for interim…it passed 72-0-3 in the House AND 26-0-3 in the Senate. I would venture to say that not a single Legislator read this bill all the way through. At any time during the House or Senate Floor debates any member of either body, thinking Item #149 was inappropriate, could have had the item removed by a majority vote. However, by the bodies’ actions, a majority in both houses must have felt it a proper study item…or, didn’t care enough to further debate the item.

By: Al

Al — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:19:31 +0000

So, in the little video here he says

“Out of jest and out of trying to prove a point I proposed that a caffeine tax be applied to the citizens of the state of Utah…”

What is he the court jester? A little comedien? If you want to make jokes or make points do it on the floor not in a bill where the ACTUAL PROPOSAL is.

He says tageted taxes are wrong but yet he puts it in a bill. Who elected this guy? Tounge in cheek has no place in politics.