...of course they do.
Just a friendly reminder from Tom deLay land of exactly how full of it the Republicans are.
http://www.chron.com/...
The premise is simple - offer tax cuts, but when we need to consider how much money we need to run popular govt programs, we have to get that money from somewhere.
The Houston Chronicle did a nice simple piece today with the phrase "Loser Fees" in the caption. I draw attention to it because I'd like to put it at the feet of Tom deLay...since he is not only a Congressman in the Houston area, but he also has had a pretty tight grip on the Texas Legislature.
I am curious as to how much the method of "No, no - they are not taxes, they are just 'fees' " affecet regions other than Houston, so please weigh in.
http://www.chron.com/...
Some highlights:
'Loser fees' taking place of new taxes
Surcharges added to tickets, DWIs help fund state government
By DAN FELDSTEIN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
Got a broken taillight? The city of Houston fine is $30. But you'll pay $93 extra in surcharges -- four to the city and 17 to the state.
Governments often cover the cost of specific services with a "user fee." Call this twist the Loser Fee.
Did you get a parking ticket? By state mandate, the city adds a $5 surcharge that's passed to local school districts for crossing guards. Without it, the money might come from school property taxes.
"This stuff happens all the time, especially in states without income tax. I just call it 'anything-but-taxes,' " said David Brunori, a contributing editor to State Tax Notes and a public policy professor at George Washington University.
In fact, it's very much a tax -- a compulsory payment that helps fund government. Texas lawmakers have added at least one new surcharge to traffic tickets every legislative session since 1987, according to a Houston Chronicle search of bills, statutes and budget books. This covers a span when both Democrats and Republicans controlled state government.
And yes, there are more horrible "hot-topic" things the government is doing to us right now. I just like pointing this one out as it demonstrates one more example of how dishonest and disfucntional and outright incompetent the Republicans are. They say with great fanfare that they don't like taxes, yet they give us this garbage...which has not been mentioned in the $1.6 billion of our money they have spent for their own PR.
God bless them each and every one : )