If you've landed on this blog by mistake, please follow this link:


www.Massachusetts.PreppersNetwork.com

Please update your bookmarks and the links on your sites.



Join our forum at:


24 February 2009

Gas tax

As you all must know by now Governor Patrick has decided to increase our gas tax by 80%+ from 23.5 cents per gallon to 42.5 cents per gallon. At a time when people are hurting, at a time when people are losing their jobs, at a time when people are losing their homes, at a time when people are losing their health insurance and the best Our Government can do is to tax We The people. We The People are already forced to make decisions about how to spend our limited cash. We The People all are already forced to prioritize our needs and make do or do without.
At a time when we have to, if we are lucky, settle for the ground beef rather than the sirloin. Or abandon our hope for a family vacation. We The People forget about sending our kid to summer camp or the private school. And what does Our Government offer in return? Do we get a hand up? No. Do we get a tax credit? No. Do we get assistance of any kind? No.

Our Government once again taxes We The people.

Across the Commonwealth every week thousands are losing their jobs. Last week thousands lost their jobs, and the week before that and the week before that and the week before that. What once were two income families are now one income families. What once were full-time jobs are now part-time jobs. And in return, Our government taxes We The people.

When will it end? How many times and for how long and how deeply can Our Government continue to bleed We The People dry.

Our cities and towns all come with their hands out too.

Why can't government understand that we are choosing to heat our homes or feed our bodies, to buy medicine or new sneakers? We have limited resources and have to live within our means.

When will We The People rise up in a chorus and scream from the buildings, parks and mountains, "We don't have it. We don't have it. We don't have it?" What will it take?

How in the face of so much widespread, popular suffering can Our Government ask us to give any more? How?

How can there be such a total and absolute disconnect between the daily struggles of We The People and Our Government? We elect them. They work for US.

I saw Mayor Menino on TV last week. He was speaking about the possibility of stimulus monies being wasted, the good Mayor said, and I quote that people will "revolt." Menino said the R word, revolt. Which is awfully close to the other R word.

I fear that day is coming. We don't have it. We will stop paying our taxes. There will be a tax revolt. There will be a tax revolt.

If our government is unresponsive to We The People there will be changes. Call you legislators. Write your legislators. Let them know that We have no more to give.

And if they are unresponsive, let them know that there will be changes.

5 comments:

Herbalpagan said...

hmmm, well...I think a gas tax is better than a pay tax increase. Why?? well, at least you can change your gas use, at least a little. I don't like any tax increase, but ones that you can work a little bit around are better. I know that doesn't help and may make me unpopular, but that's why I feel that way. I think it's also to encourage people to conserve.
We have changed our driving habits a lot in the last year. We moved to where the trip to work is much longer, but we dropped a car and I only go to town once a week now to shop. When I go, I line up my driving to hit points on the way to my farthest destination and then points on the way back. I don't go to 4 supermarkets to get the best deals, I go to two. I'm in the process of moving my prescriptions to a closer pharmacy. I only go twice a year to a big box store and hour away instead of 4 times a year. I keep enough of a stock of stuff so that I don't need to "run out" to the store. We make every trip count, even to the point where in the winter, we don't drive the 7 miles to the dump every week, we go every 2-4 weeks. It takes planning, but the savings have been significant.

Unknown said...

My major issue with the gas tax increase is that We the People of western Massachusetts are once again being forced to bear the burden of the Big Dig. We drive in Boston once or twice a year, yet are expected to foot the bill for the massive fraud and waste of the Big Dig. In the meantime, the roads and bridges in the western part of the state are literally crumbing beneath us. Our town recently had a property re-valuation and passed a tax override (by 2 votes) that resulted in a 21% property tax increase!

"Taxachusetts" is a very appropriate name.

ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!

Herbalpagan said...

True, it does suck that we have to pay for what a huge city like Boston uses! And I didn't mean to belittle your complaint either, as it is very ligitimate and the tax increase is exorbitant!

Anonymous said...

Yeah the Big Dig is north south and yet the east west people have to pay for it.

What really bothers me isn't so much the tax because hey I understand we need to pay to keep the machine running. I don't have kids but I have to pay for schools. I didn't support invading Iraq, but I had to pay for that too.

What really gets to me though is that the only conclusion one can make regarding the tax increase is that those in power either don't care, they have no empathy or understanding about how much 85% of the people are struggling or they understand and they still don't give a crap.

Either conclusion leads me to believe that it's time for a change because we either have leaders that don't understand the daily struggles of most people or they do understand and still disregard it.

I did see that there was a small protest in town - http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/02/gop_gas_tax_pro.html

Anonymous said...

i was always taught that when you got an enemy down, ya put the boots to em so he don't get back up....now, why would they wanna do that to citizens?...is denmark really smelly?