What? Janet Hunter wrote: > > Douglas Day wrote the message appended below. > > Though this is the improper forum to address these current political > issues(though I have a 1780s parallel below) since the comments were made to > the list, with a very broad readership, I have these comments on the appeal > to voters of the car tax repeal, and which economic groups provided the power > in the voting booth. . The situation was that if you had a new car your tax > could be $700 or more a year. This came due at the same time every year. > That's a fairly big chunk of change, and momentum was built supported by most > voters, but targeted to appeal to the broadest voting population-- the middle > class.. If you own a home (the other largest piece of personal property) and > have a mortgage, then the annual blow is cushioned by monthly deductions. > Same goes for your auto insurance (which in most cases exceeded the car tax) > If you own your home outright (lucky devils) then you have probably budgeted > for it. > > I don't think there is any difference in the "collective ethnic makeup" > literacy, per income that explains this and as a Virginian I think this is > very misleading to make the suggestion that Virginia's demographics are > responsible.. The less fortunate amongst us simply don't have the kind of > auto power with the largest taxes to have provided fuel for this fire.. The > car tax repeal was not driven by the Virginia's population percentage that > could be termed economically disadvantaged as implied, but by middle class > and beyond voters . As a rule, I would argue that those of us who are not so > well-off understand perhaps more clearly than other economic groups the > relationship between state,local,government "income" and services they > benefit from. > > I question the suggestion below that the less well-off amongst us Virginians > are in ANY WAY the reason of impetus for the repeal of the car tax or for the > state's budget problems...except for the fact that they (statistics show I > believe) were less likely to be represented on election day at the polls. > Voting against tax cuts unfortunately is not popular amongst any of us. > > Getting back to this list and parallels 220 or so years ago in Virginia, I > have always wondered about the politics behind the removal from personal tax > lists of STUD HORSES, "WHEELS" (phaetons, curricles == car tax) and BILLIARD > TABLES--all luxury items. Does anyone know which individuals were behind > that decision...and it WAS a decision by someone? > > We are experiencing the same thing on a national level with budget > problems...and again we have a tax cut (not led by the economically > disadvantaged) which is "partly" to blame. Whenever you cut taxes this is > the risk. > > FYI, I don't support tax cuts as a rule. Our nation and states just have way > too much at stake. We have too many important demands for basic services > from which we all benefit that are not being addressed...AND these needs are > represented unequally on all levels. > > Think about the state of maintenance of interstate 64, which begins in > Lexington VA. I drove it all the way to St. Louis last year. It is pretty > good in Virginia, spectacular in West Virginia (and who is chairman of the > Senate Appropriations Committe?), then you get to Kentucky and it takes a > nose dive. You get to Indiana, and you are dealing most of the time with > cement/concrete road, with the truck lanes occasionally resurfaced with > asphalt. > > I actually really AM interested in the removal of studs, wheels and billiard > tables from personal property tax -- though I suspect that it wasn't > particularly controversial given voter eligibility standards. > > With my best regards, > Janet Hunter > > In a message dated 10/20/2002 7:59:57 AM Eastern Standard Time, > [log in to unmask] writes: > > > I agree with Janet that Virginians > > who vote (or who don't) have only themselves to blame. As historians > > (loosely defined, since some of us on the list are geneologists, > > folklorists, or from other disciplines) we should be trying to figure > > out what it is about the electorate that makes us particularly > > vulnerable to such obvious pandering. Why are Virginains, who, as I > > think I've heard, have one of the lowest per capita tax rates in the > > nation, so reflexively against progressive taxation? Is it something > > about our collective ethnic make-up, our literacy levels, what? > > > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html