Just like when a 12th Century king declares he wants a bigger bejeweled crown and some more wenches, so he sends a goon squad out to plunder his subjects and shake them until hidden coins fall out of their socks, so reigns Chairman George Schwartz in Stafford.  “The subjects free will, be damned” you can almost hear him utter when the public hearing session began in a crammed-packed chambers.

If you like keeping some of your money, Stafford County may not be the right place for you. Regardless of your party affiliation yesterday, if it’s not crystal clear that our homegrown crew of elitist Democrats will tax you into bankruptcy when times are good, and tax you even more when times are bad, then you just aren’t living in reality anymore, and you certainly aren’t living in Stafford County. 

As if one should need any proof of this on a national level, “America’s chickens have come home to roost” here in Stafford!  And after they roost, they’re going to eat your cat and steal your wallet.

Stafford County Democrats George Schwartz, Joe Brito, Bob Woodson and Harry Crisp have approved a highly controversial businesses tax, called the Business, Professional and Occupational License or “BPOL” in a meeting that stretched until later than 3:00 am!

These liberals call it a ”revenue generator” for the cash-strapped jurisdiction, but let’s be clear: RAISING TAXES IS NOT A REVENUE GENERATOR- it’s a TAX INCREASE! 

A revenue generator could be the world’s largest ball of yarn at a two-seat diner along Route 1.  Tourists come, spend their money, we tax them for pancakes, the diner employs people, they buy things, and the economy goes round and round.  If we’ve planned our area correctly, the tourist might also decide to fill up with gas while he’s here and “ooh” look at that, something to buy at the farmer’s fruit stand across the street! … more tax income and revenue generation for the county…  The farmer gets so busy that he eventually sells to Giant Foods, and the Diner outgrows his two-seater and upgrades to an IHOP franchise a year later, and viola-a growing economy emerges from the FREE MARKET as it was always intended  (I’m leaving out the part where Stalinistic building permits, Marxist zoning restrictions and hippy environmental lobyists restrict the sale of the grocery store to less than 10,000sf, and tell the diner owner what he can’t do with his own property which results in a lawsuit that he eventually wins, but nevertheless slows the process to a grinding halt for 36 months just to get a siteplan review—but that’s for another rant.)

What all Democrats seem to never grasp is that REDISTRIBUTING WEALTH is UN-AMERICAN and quite SOCIALIST!  A tax on businesses is a TAX.  It is something that someone else takes from you that they didn’t earn.  Taxing a business for the 15th time - literally, is no way to foster a healthy business economy.

After many DOZENS of people spoke out against this tax in person, they shoved it through anyway.  The only people who spoke for it, were the usual crowd of liberals who offer the all famous lines, “someone should do something about our need for more cash.”  Isn’t it amazing how that someone is always “someone else” whose checkbook must be opened?  Not one supporter of BPOL offered an alternative.

How much combined business experience do to the elected board of supervisors have?  On the Democrat side= ZILCH.  All three Republicans have owned or currently own a business though! So we can very clearly see who understands the impacts of adding more taxes to a fragile balance of our local economy!

Perhaps we shouldn’t be building $50,000,000 new schools when our student population is declining?  Perhaps we shouldn’t be using $60,000,000 to buy swamp land when we have dangerous roads to pave?  Perhaps we shouldn’t be building mega-million dollar police, fire & rescue headquarters buildings until we can afford it?  Perhaps we shouldn’t be restricting 12,000 acres from any development whatsoever if near a 15% grade?  Perhaps we should be lobbying our state and federal boards for more of our own tax dollars to come back so we aren’t a “donor” county and state for road money?

Perhaps we could use some of these savings to improve our infrastructure, invest in tourism initiatives and incentivize new businesses?  Nnnaaahhhhh- Let’s just raise the taxes on bread, daycare, gasoline, groceries, diapers, car repairs, water, eyeglasses, shoes, firewood and everything else people need.  THAT’S what it means to be a Stafford Democrat apparently.

Beginning in 2010 (thank God for a small favor) the county will charge half the maximum rate allowed by state law. Gross receipts up to $200,000 will be exempt.

Now is the time for Democratic families to take a serious look at their values and consider that even if they ‘like’ big government spending, they may not be able to ‘afford’ it any more.  After all, when is enough enough? 

At what point in your tax level are you no longer a FREE WORKING AMERICAN?  At what point are you a subservient socialist worker?  We’re already above the 50% mark of how much taxes you pay in total of your income!  When do we start standing in lines for bread and socks?

The DMV is now charging you $5 to stand in line and talk to a live human teller! Someone remind me WHY WE NEED A DMV IN THE FIRST PLACE?  My car runs just fine without a sticker on the windshield or a license plate on the back. Everything else is JUST ANOTHER TAX.

I’ve never seen so many NEW TAXES introduced during such a slow economy. My family is tightening up, why can’t my government?  I suppose it’s just “someone else’s job” to worry about that since our government is rapidly becoming no longer “of the people, by the people, and for the people”, but rather, “tax the people, from other people, to my people.”

Here’s what Supervisor Paul Milde has to say about BPOL:

Now is not the time to impose a BPOL tax.

Right now, businesses across our nation and our commonwealth are facing very challenging times.

Stafford County’s businesses are not immune from the uncertainties affecting companies large and small across America. Indeed, the pressures of difficult economic times are keenly felt by every Stafford business.

Despite these circumstances, several members of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors are intent on imposing a new tax on our local businesses.

This new tax is commonly referred to as BPOL, or Business, Professional and Occupational License. Its innocuous-sounding name disguises the reality that BPOL is among the most regressive of taxes.

The tax would be assessed on the gross receipts of a business. So, whether they are profitable or not, businesses will have to pay this tax.

If you think this issue matters only to business, think again. Pressures on residential property-tax bills–which are offset by the substantial taxes already paid by local businesses–could only become greater if Stafford were to become less business-friendly.

The growth in revenues from businesses helps to protect Stafford home- owners from having to bear an even larger financial burden.

Stafford’s pro-business policies have greatly benefited our community, creating jobs, improving our quality of life, and providing revenues for our treasury.

In 2002, our businesses produced $38 million in revenues for Stafford. By the end of fiscal 2008, projections show that figure increasing to a very impressive $62 million–a 63 percent increase in just six years.

The current debate over BPOL is more than just a business concern. Its outcome will affect every Stafford resident.

Make sure your voice is heard by attending the public hearing tonight at 7 p.m., immediately prior to a planned vote by the Board of Supervisors on enacting BPOL. Do your part to keep Stafford a great place to do business.

Almost no one has read the fine print in the tax hike proposed by Senate Democrats (and which may well pass the Senate as I’m writing this).  Most will just assume it does what MSM says it will, namely ” increase the gasoline tax and other levies to generate new money for Virginia’s transportation needs . . .  with additional amounts generated through regional tax increases in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads” (Roanoke Times, emphasis added).  That is wrong; SB6009 does far more than that.

Buried in the fine print of the Senate Finance Committee substitute (the version that reached the floor) is a provision on “Imposition of additional state retail sales and use taxes in certain regions” (Section 58.1-603.3 - you’ll have to scroll down about a third of the way).  Which “certain regions” you ask?  Well, the bill is kind enough to define them:

There is hereby levied and imposed, in addition to all other taxes and fees now imposed by law, a general retail sales and use tax at the rate of one percent in any urban region of the Commonwealth that has at any time an aggregate of at least 8.5 million daily vehicle miles traveled in the area in accordance with the most recent written determinations of daily vehicle miles traveled by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Based solely on this requirement, the Tax Commissioner shall be responsible for making the written determination of whether an urban region has met such requirement.

Now, the bill defines “urban regions” as metropolitan planning organizations, which, from my quick research, covers just about the entire state.  If your MPO has over 8.5 million daily vehicle miles traveled (DVMT), you’re getting hit with a sales tax hike - whether you like it or not.

Who gets to spend your money?  Why, it’s the unelected Commonwealth Transportation Board:

Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, the net revenues generated and collected from the tax imposed under subsection B shall be allocated by the Commonwealth Transportation Board solely for transportation projects in the respective urban region that are included in the federally mandated Regional Transportation Plan approved by the metropolitan planning organization for the respective urban region (or any successive plan).

So what we have here is an automatic tax increase imposed in secret with the money to be spent by unelected officials.

Now, you, dear reader, may be thinking - but there is no way my MPO reaches the criteria (well, unless you live in NoVa or Hampton Roads, but you’re getting hit with the regional tax hike under this plan anyway).  Well, based on the latest VDOT data, if you live in the following MPOs, you would be wrong.  Residents of the following areas would be hit with a regional tax hike under the Senate Democrats’ bill:

• Richmond Area (Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, and Richmond City): 30 million DVMT
• Fredericksburg Area (Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, and Caroline): 11.6 million DVMT
• SWAC Area (Augusta, Bath, Highland, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton and Waynesboro): 9.9 million DVMT
• Hampton Roads Area (the original 12 in the HRTA, plus Franklin, Gloucester, Southampton, and Surry

I say again, if you live in any of the above listed counties or cities, your sales tax will go up along with the statewide tax hikes - if Saslaw’s bill becomes law.  Odds are, MSM and most of the legislators will be as surprised as you are.

This is no way to govern.  As bad as it was before the Senate Finance Committee marked it up (and it was bad enough), this in infinitely worse - and a telling sign of what happens when legislators see a chance to hit up the taxpayer.  To call this an outrage is an understatement.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Post the above image and link to the committee with the following text in your blog or web site:

<a href=”http://www.americanpatriotscommittee.org”><img border=”0″ src=”http://www.americanpatriotscommittee.com/images/banner-ad-200×200.jpg” width=”200″></a>

This is the crux of a non-partisan new group formed right here in America’s Most Historic City: Fredericksburg, VA.  They’re just getting started but have a nice platform that’s simple for all to understand. 

They’re seeking new members and any-party candidates considering running for any elected office to contact them and learn more about the U.S. Constitution and their future role in upholding it.

If someone is going to raise their right hand and swear to uphold something, shouldn’t they know what it is?

In essence, the APC will endorse a candidate for any office (and presumable help campaign for him/her) who either takes classes on the US Constitution from their recommended sources, or can pass a fundamental test on the subject matter.

The reason this is needed, is that all elected leaders must swear to uphold the office and the Constitution,but so many that do this do NOT have a grasp of the document and its roots of origin. Therefore, they inadvertantly (hopefully that’s the case) create and/or vote for things such as illegal taxing authorities (HB 3202) or illegal property seizing (Kilo) just to name a couple.  Not to mention appropriate YOUR MONEY without the legal authority to do it!  It happens EVERY DAY in State and US Congresses!  … ESPECIALLY in federal congress. 

Who gives them the authority to take our money?  If you think “WE” did when we elected them, you’re dead wrong.

Learning the difference between a Republic and a Democracy is a great start.  Which are we in the USA?

• Can we hold and take a ‘majority vote’ to go seize Aunt Mildred’s house because it’s too big for her now and she doesn’t need it anyway?  Then sell it and redistribute the earnings and giver her a fair cut?
• Can we vote to make a tax on air and charge everyone who breathes it a fee per month? What if they were cigarette smokers who contributed to the need for air cleaners around the world?  What about industrial smoke stacks owners?
• Can we gather and vote in a 2/3 majority to identify people over 6′6″ and charge them an access fee to government/public buildings that had to build taller door frames to give them access since the ADA Act gives ‘everyone’ equal access?
• Can we have our Supreme Court justices vote to make a defacto law through their findings that a father has the right to make his pregnant girlfriend kill her baby once he’s born but no less than 1 hour old?  What if they were married and the baby is joint property?  What about 5 minutes before he’s born then?

In a Democracy we could make such rules, but not in a Republic! Taking a class will teach you why and why not.  Legislators are faced with these types of decisions EVERY DAY.

This says it all [emphasis mine]:

“Congressman Tom Udall of New Mexico introduced, H.R. 1464, a bill named the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2008, last spring. The law would provide for funds to be provided, through the Multinational Species Conservation Fund, to groups working to preserve wild canid and felid species around the world. Projects in Iran, Syria, Cuba, Sudan and North Korea would be excluded. [Well- thank goodness for THAT !]

“It’s especially important to conserve wild cats and dogs, because they’re predators. As such, they help to preserve balance within ecological systems. When predators go extinct, their prey species go through wild boom and bust cycles that endanger large number of animal and plant circles. So, the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2008 is arguably the most important conservation legislation to be presented to Congress this year. [????]

“This isn’t pork barrel legislation [?????], either. H.R. 1464 has been certified as containing no earmarks at all.

“This month, H.R. 1464 finally came to the floor of the House of Representatives, for a general House vote yesterday. At 5:17 PM, the measure was passed.[??!!!!??!!??] Of course, now the Senate needs to pass an equivalent bill in order for the legislation to gain the status of law.”

The APC believes that if they can do their part to keep everyone on the same sheet of music then we can all sing the same tune at least when it comes to legally voting for something. Voting for MY MONEY to head to foreign countries to protect their feral cat problem is NOT THE US CONGRESS’ CONCERN! 

Most of us presume that elected leaders have a greater understanding of the government than we ‘commoners’ do, and in many cases like when the leaders are lawyers, they do.  But that isn’t how “We The People” are supposed to govern ourselves!  The government and its laws were never supposed to get this complicated in the first place.  They were certainly never intended to get so ridiculous either. 

How long is the Declaration of Independence? 

How long is The Bill of Rights? 

How long is the US Constitution? 

NOT LONG AT ALL! 

Yet we formed a whole country based on these documents!!

How long is your HOA’s book?  Your mortgage documents? The lease on your car?  Did you read and understand every word of each page?

Did you sign it?

… There ya go. 

This is how we get into national deficits and fund multi-million dollar EPA studies that measure cow flatulence on a dairy farm as a source greenhouse gases that cause global warming. 

Yep, that one exists!  Here it is!

Learn what the American Patriots Committee means when they say they want all elected leaders to GRASP and UNDERSTAND the Constitution and the ROLE OF GOVERNMENT leaders before they vote: www.AmericanPatriotsCommittee.org .

WHAT’S LEFT of your paycheck when you have liberal spendocrats in charge?  NOTHING.  …Especially when you’re retired and the government wants even MORE of your money from raised property taxes for something you’ve worked hard for already and paid for in full.  Think you own it now?

Governor “I will raise your taxes and here’s how” “Crazy” “Timmahy” Kaine laid out his plan to fund roads last night in Fredericksburg.  <Here’s the full Free Lance-Star story>

He gets three nicknames here because just one isn’t enough for the Gov anymore; he wants to raise so many taxes that just one nickname can’t possibly cover the ridiculously flawed and destructive leadership that Kaine offers- and this guy thinks he’s going to be the VP of the USA? ROFL!!

The article writer at the FLS tends to very favorable to liberal spendocrats, so imagine if this story were written by a conservative reporter while reading, because the slant is a far too kind for the damage Kaine is proposing.

Most notable missing from this discussion in any coverage or debate is

• REDUCING GOVERNMENT SPENDING!  this is a Republican concept it seems but the concept is sound.  We DON’T NEED more government in our lives.
• CUTTING NON-PRIORITY PROGRAMS - since when is the government our mother?
• RAISING HOME VALUES AGAIN- they pay taxes that pave roads when they aren’t in bankruptcy.
• GROWING THE BUSINESS ECONOMY- where employment and sales taxes come from.

Here’s what Governor “I will raise your taxes and here’s how” “Crazy” “Timmahy” Kaine wants to take from you now.  This is in ADDITION to the taxe hikes that John “liberal democrat” Chichester and then Gov. Mark Warner already implemented in their Billion dollar debacle a few years back that we’re STILL paying for!

TITLING TAX

• Proposal: Boost the sales tax paid on car purchases from 3 percent to 4 percent. Half of the increase would take effect in January 2009, and half would take effect in July 2009.Scope: statewide
• Purpose: fund upkeep and repairs to about 58,000 miles of state-maintained highways
• Yield: $172 million next year, $212 million per year by 2014

Your cost: Fully phased in, it would add $200 to the purchase of a $20,000 automobile.

• Proposal: Increase the tax paid by people selling homes from 10 cents per $100 of the transaction to 25 cents per $100.
• Scope: statewide
• Purpose: mostly funding for rail and mass-transit projects
• Yield: $142 million next year, $155 million per year by 2014

Your cost: Seller would pay an additional $500 at closing on the sale of a $200,000 home.

SALES TAX

• Proposal: Boost the tax rate on all retail sales except groceries and medicines in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
• Scope: Hampton Roads and Washington’s Virginia suburbs
• Purpose: In Northern Virginia, it would fund new highway projects and expand the Metro transit system and the Virginia Railway Express commuter system; in Hampton Roads, it would fund seven priority projects, including expanding the region’s primary choke point, the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.
• Yield: in Northern Virginia, $306 million next year and $414 million per year by 2014; in Hampton Roads, $168 million next year, $227 million per year by 2014

Your cost: an additional $32 on a 52-inch high-definition flat-screen TV that sells for $3,200

REGISTRATION FEE

• Proposal: Increase by $10 the yearly fee to register a personal motor vehicle in Virginia.
• Scope: statewide
• Purpose: highway maintenance funding
• Yield: $70 million this year, $73 million per year by 2014

Your cost: Vehicle registration at DMV would increase from $39.50 to $49.50.

–Office of the Governor
http://www.governor.virginia.gov

-How about CUTTING TAXES?  CUTTING SPENDING? SPURRING ECONOMIC GROWTH? WANING PEOPLE OFF THE GOVERNMENT TEET?