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the middle class already pays a tax on its wealth-the property tax
which is a tax on the only wealth most people accumulate. so why is
the wealth of the rich sacrosanct?<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">"May this be the worst day of your life".
Old Irish blessing.</pre>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 3/19/2015 1:31 PM, 'C. G. Estabrook'
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:carl@newsfromneptune.com">carl@newsfromneptune.com</a> [sf-core] wrote:<br>
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<p>Thank you for doing this David - both for attending, so I
didn’t have to & could stay home & watch the Bulls
(since I don’t like either exploited athletes [NCAA] or
endangered ones [NFL] - but Barca is fun) and for
analyzing, so I could learn more from you than I had so
far from the press re the local mayoralty election.<br>
<br>
Tax questions seem one of the few substantive matters that
might differentiate the candidates. As a Pikettian who
holds that we should tax wealth (progressively) rather
than income, either personal or business (if you tax
something, you get less of it - the theory behind
cigarette taxes), I think that about all one can do on the
local level is support property taxes and oppose
consumption (sales) taxes, which are necessarily
regressive. <br>
<br>
One of Feinen’s people told me that she, in contrast to
the others, opposes sales taxes and supports property
taxes instead. True?<br>
<br>
Regards, CGE<br>
<br>
> On Mar 19, 2015, at 11:47 AM, David Green via
Peace-discuss <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net"><peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net></a>
wrote:<br>
> <br>
> The mayoral candidates convened last evening. The
video will be re-broadcast at 11 this evening, and
innumerable times thereafter at all hours of the morning.<br>
> All of the four candidates recognized that poverty is
an issue. They hope, and perhaps pray, for economic
development and jobs. Mayor Gerard implied that he has
something to do with a lower unemployment rate in
Champaign County since he took office. I have my doubts
whether the real unemployment rate is much lower, about
the nature of new jobs, and about the relationship of any
of that to his policies, including the summer youth jobs
for which he takes credit.<br>
> There seemed to be a consensus in support of TIFs,
and for Bristol Place development. I have my doubts
whether that constitutes an economic development strategy.
Joe Petry claimed to have a detailed economic vision on
his website; I can’t seem to find that on his website.<br>
> All are proud of our new hotels.<br>
> They all love the idea of combatting “sprawl” and
promoting in-fill. Gerard mentioned the national award
that Champaign received regarding its population density,
even though it’s not an island like New York City, which
got an even better mark and which just isn't fair. I’m no
authority on local issues, including this one, but it
would seem that there are some contradictions here. Do we
not have sprawl? Do not the developers want to create more
sprawl? Won’t any of these candidates have to please the
developers? It was seen as a feather in the cap of in-fill
that Worden-Martin moved (was bribed to move?) to Anthony
Drive. That seems to me a pretty low bar regarding urban
planning. Or perhaps the more popular expression is
"low-hanging fruit."<br>
> Gerard is running partly on his alleged support for
organized labor. Last night he lauded Phyllis Wise, whom
we are “lucky to have.” Thus there may be a contradiction
between his support for Wise and his alleged support for
labor on campus. Gerard is proud of everything he’s done,
all the people he’s ever worked with, and indeed all the
people he’s met. Champaign is the “best city in the
country.” (Full disclosure: I enjoy living in Champaign
more than Los Angeles or Chicago.). However he did, he
reminded us, talk back to Gov. Rauner. But I'm not getting
my pitchfork ready to join him at the governor's door.<br>
> I submitted a question about discrimination against
African-Americans in traffic stops, fines, etc. They all
agreed that the police should “look more like the
community.” Anthony Cobb, they said, is making that
happen. They all agreed that Chief Cobb is a stellar
figure who will work to solve these problems. They invoked
community policing; however, I doubt that the premises or
track record of what is called “community policing” offer
much hope for meaningful change. It would seem, and I’m
sure that it’s obvious to most of those reading this, that
such change would have to come at more fundamental levels
of economic equality and ending the war on drugs and mass
incarceration. The latter wasn’t mentioned, as far as I
can recall, although I did lose focus a few times.<br>
> Deb Feinin was at the meeting at the Urbana Civic
Center a few weeks ago about traffic stops, etc. So she is
aware that there is a genuine problem. Unfortunately, I’m
still vague about the level of that problem in Champaign
in comparison to a place like Ferguson. It would be good
to have more data about fines, jailing, etc., but that
doesn’t work for a question written on a note card.<br>
> Karen Foster, as reported in the N-G, was the only
candidate willing to consider raising taxes to meet
possible budget deficits. She might get my vote just on
that basis, if I vote, even though she’s the most poorly
spoken of the lot. But perhaps that’s a point in her
favor. Feinen said that it would be a shame to raise
taxes, just as jobs are picking up. But if you lay people
off from government, then you lose both jobs and taxes.
But you don’t learn that in law school.<br>
> In sum, Joe Petry would probably make the best
technocrat among them, although of course the other three
have more experience in city government per se. Petry
seems like a genuinely conscientious guy. I could be
wrong, but I could picture having an intelligent and
productive conversation with him.<br>
> I was confirmed in my belief that I don’t think a
whole lot of Don Gerard.<br>
> Concluding editorial comment: My back-of-the-envelope
calculation is that the yearly income of the top 20% of
household in Champaign (6000 or so) totals over $1
billion, probably a conservative estimate, and leaving
their wealth aside. In this state, that strata pays 7-8%
in state/local taxes, while the bottom quintile pays 13%.
A 3-5% surcharge on the adjusted gross income of this
group could easily net $20-30 million, but there’s no
reason why at least $50 million shouldn’t be taxed from
this group in order to put a lot more people to work
providing services. City government, with broad public
participation, should decide what services the people
need, how many jobs it wants to create, and then tax on
that basis.<br>
> The total locally funded budgets of Champaign city,
schools, parks, and libraries are probably about $180
million. Given the wealth of our community (over $4
billion GDP, City of Champaign), there’s no reason for
these services to be so hard-pressed. But of course the
reason they are is that none of the candidates can broach
the topic of going to where the money is, from those who
have the most and need it the least, and of course have
the most influence on politics and campaign funding, even
at the local penny-ante level.<br>
> Of course, all of this would be more efficiently done
at the county or state levels. But there's no reason for
local municipalities not to set an example. Phyllis Wise
isn't going to pack up her bags and move to Monticello.<br>
> Conclusion: a good socialist would have made for an
interesting evening. But at least they didn’t let Barb
Wysocki be the moderator. That’s what allowed me to stay
awake throughout.<br>
> <br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
> Peace-discuss mailing list<br>
> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a><br>
>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss">https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss</a><br>
<br>
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