<p>“The problem with the 2.5% cap is that it isn’t tied to inflation in any way.”</p>
<p>Excellent point. I guess I would say cut the fat, make long-term changes AND simultaneously index the rate increases to inflation. I thank you for the courteous and informative posts.</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad, that’s some pretty inflammatory stuff about Romney. Have his opponents attacked him for it? I hadn’t heard much about it before. It sounds like excellent ammunition against him.</p>
<p>“Romney championed an income tax cut and then slashed (he’s the governor, he makes the budget) the amount the state sent to the cities and towns.”</p>
<p>I happen to have a very close source who works in the state house for the legislature on the budget. It would be news to this person that the governor dictates the budget. Just as I’m sure Pelosi and Reid would not claim that the President decides the budget. Ultimately the budget must pass the legislature so their hands are just as dirty.</p>
<p>Where is the responsibility of the Democratic legislature in this whole mess? Did they not vote for the income tax decrease? Did they think the money was going to come from the fairies? Was Romney such a powerful politician that he could steamroll the extremely lopsided Democratically controlled legislature? Perhaps Romney’s plan was not fully baked, but it sounds like there is a lot of blame to pass around - even down to the voters who a) voted for an unworkable proposition and b) continue to send Democratic legislators to Boston who vote for bad bills.</p>
<p>“Oh, now you’re losing me - Can’t stand Edwards. And I’m Southern! Too narcissistic, too angry, appeals to our worst instincts, imo.”</p>
<p>My daughter also had a negative reaction to Edwards while watching a recent debate. While she liked much of what he was saying, she said something about his voice and demeanor just irritated the fire out of her. (And we’re also Southern!) I personally appreciate his anger and policy views, and can overlook his sometimes smarmy, uncomfortable stage presence. I’ve had some difficulty, however, getting past his obscenely huge home. Mr. Two-Americas should have known better. Even so, I’d vote for him tomorrow if I could. (Alas, Kentucky’s primary is in May, and is pretty much meaningless.) … I really wouldn’t mind seeing an Edwards–McCain presidential race. While I disagree with McCain on a number of things, he does come across as a genuine, honest-to-goodness, “his-own-man” kind of guy.</p>
<p>Fundingfather, I have no love for the Massachusetts legislature, and yes, there is plenty of blame to go around for the fires and my tires and rims, but as they say, “the fish smells from the head”, and it was the Romney’s genius budget that slashed aid to cities and towns. Yes the legislature swallowed the poison too, but I don’t see many Massachusetts legislators going around running for president claiming to be a financial genius who “saved Massachusetts”. Romney is running for president as though he was the solution, when he was a huge part of the problem. The truth as others have said is that he was mostly an absentee governor until he found that grandstanding about abortion, stem cells and gay marriage was good for his presidential race. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice … Contrast him with Weld who was reelected with 70% of the vote in Massachusetts, and who nearly beat John Kerry for a seat in the US Senate. I’m a die hard independent, and I voted for Weld in both of those elections.</p>
<p>Fiscal responsibility involves managing both revenue AND expenditures. It just doesn’t get more basic than schools, roads and public safety. Which reminds me that I lost another hubcap recently :-)</p>
<p>Sorry for flaming, but I don’t like getting duped and it pains me to watch the rest of the nation getting ready to drink his Guyana juice.</p>
<p>Dstark, that’s why I favor using income tax instead of a property tax, which was in effect how “aid to cities and towns” was really funded. If you don’t have the income, you don’t pay the tax. I’d love the opportunity to pay a million dollars a year in income tax 
. Nonetheless, there is no fat left in the local budgets of Massachusetts, we don’t get to control inflation or the costs of health insurance, and most municipal workers have union contracts that tend to increase pay somewhat in proportion to inflation. If your revenue lags inflation EVERY year, you have to permanently cut something NEW out of your operating budget EVERY year. When you add the cuts in local aid on top of that, you can see the disaster.</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad, great posts.</p>
<p>I love the following…</p>
<p>“Fiscal responsibility involves managing both revenue AND expenditures.”</p>
<p>The republican party just doesn’t get that (democrats don’t too).</p>
<p>“the fish smells from the head”,</p>
<p>You were too nice. “The fish rots from the head is more appropriate.”</p>
<p>Yes, I suspect that what we have in Romney is another “Massachusetts Miracle” like we had with Dukakis. That’s why I am not a big Romney supporter either.</p>
<p>I’m all for some Democrat winning. The R’s need to refocus and we all need to be reminded why we voted the dems out in the first place. The good news is in the big picture the President really is pretty powerless on anything that really matters day to day. All they can do is annoy me a bit.</p>
<p>Hindoo: That’s interesting; I get the opposite reaction. I think Edwards always looks incredibly comfortable on stage and extremely confident. I always wonder when people complain about that Southern voice, if it’s because we rarely hear a Southern voice/accent in a presidential election. Mostly, what we hear are accents that are completely non-identifiable. Certainly, with <em>most</em> of the candidates, I couldn’t tell you what region of the country they came from, based on their accents. Not that it really matters, but I do appreciate that Edwards has never attempted – at any time – to alter his accent or reshape it to fit his environment or audience. It doesn’t matter what he’s done in his life, or where he goes, he sounds the same everywhere, and I appreciate that. That’s especially tough for a Southerner, because I think most of the rest of the country is so much more familiar with, and would much rather hear, the standard issue “CNN accent.”</p>
<p>With regard to his house-- well, yes, he could have waited until after the campaign to build it, but maybe he’s just not that dishonest. Frankly, I’ve never thought one had to be poor in order to recognize that there are “two Americas” in this country. We should be thankful that wealthy people recognize that not everybody lives the way they can, and they work to improve the lives of those who don’t (ie, working for universal health care). As I’m sure you know, there are plenty of people who have much less money, but don’t do squat for those less fortunate and who really have no idea (and don’t want to know) how some people are actually forced live in this country. </p>
<p>I agree about McCain. I would never vote for him, but I do think he’s honest. I would also love to see an Edwards-McCain race. :)</p>
<p>“The good news is in the big picture the President really is pretty powerless on anything that really matters day to day. All they can do is annoy me a bit.”</p>
<p>From an economic perspective that may be correct. However, from a national security perspective, that is far from correct.</p>
<p>I don’t call making Supreme Court appointments as being powerless - even making federal court appointments can result in a huge impact on our everyday lives.</p>
<p>Let me clarify something about Prop 2 1/2. It does not provide that houses on any particular piece of property can rise 2.5%. It provides that the aggregate tax burden assessed by the city or town can only grow by 2.5%. Some individual piece of property may have no increase, others may have a 5% or greater increase. So you can’t tell what your next years’ taxes might be. This is particularly true in cities and towns that have different zones: commercial, residential, etc. The town I live in has only residential zones, which makes it that much harder. In many cities and towns, seniors are given a break, so the aggregate 2.5% is spread out among fewer homeowners, making the increases higher. (As an aside, I love [not] the phrase “on a fixed income.” I work for a salary set by my employer - last time I looked, that’s a fixed income, too.)</p>
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<p>Do you really believe that??</p>
<p>Janieblue: I agree that Edwards looks confident during debates, but if you’ve ever seen an off-the-stage interview with him, he comes across much better. His voice, his expression, his accent are all somehow different–and you can’t help but really like him. Oh, maybe it’s just me. … As for the house, 24,000 square feet seems more like the flaunting of wealth to me. It’s his business, but still, it’s a bit unseemly. Again, maybe it’s just me. … By the way, snoop that I am, while visiting my mother-in-law in Chicago last month, we checked out Barak Obama’s house. (He lives very near her, in Hyde Park.) It’s a lovely two story brick home on a lovely historic street, behind a modest rail fence. Maybe 4,000 or 5,000 square feet. So, I guess Barak has passed my “how big is your house” test, eh?</p>
<p>So what that he has a huge home - he has tons of money so of course, he spends more on his house. Percentage-wise, it’s probably not out of line with what most of us spend on our homes. I’ve read it’s worth anywhere from 4 to 6 million - that buys a condo in LA and an apartment in NY.</p>
<p>“Sorry for flaming,”</p>
<p>No flaming from you. Yours are the classic definition of informative and respectful disagreement.</p>
<p>I should have said does not impact my day to day life. Well, my greatest violation has been a few speeding tickets so I don’t worry much about the Supreme Court except from general interest. What are they going to change–abortion law–not impacting me although I’d be glad if they did. Economic things–yes they can tinker around the edges but everyone is pretty much in favor of capitalism and nobody is running on a socialist platform so nope. No major impact unless they really try to screw it up but that’s pretty hard as they would never get enough votes. Too old to get drafted so any foreign adventures will be just TV news to me. The Dems are probably going to try to make nice with some snakes so we’ll just see how that turns out. I sure don’t expect them to be going to war anymore than we already are. </p>
<p>I worry much more about what outside group decides to do that could screw us up–you know blowing up planes or my building or that sort of thing. That worries me more than having Hillary running the show for a few years. I lived through Carter so I can get through anything.</p>
<p>As I said, cartera, maybe it’s just me. It certainly wouldn’t keep me from voting for him, but I still don’t have to like it. (Not that it’s any of my business!)</p>
<p>Chevda, I didn’t realize the whole community’s prop tax can only go up 2 1/2%.</p>
<p>How is it decided which property is taxed what?</p>