This should be stopped.
We had enough from own politicians, who tried to scare voters away from Brexit. It didn't work, and then the Remainers wonder why they were left with an outcome they didn't want.
Scare-mongering can touch nerves, but it shouldn't be used by any politician to sway votes their way. The best best's to tell the truth, whether it's hard or not.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2016-37547861
Wrong tactics
Re: Wrong tactics
Is there such a thing as a Poly-TICK-ian who can tell the truth about anything?
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Icey
Re: Wrong tactics
Hi Gary. I have to say that I think they're few and far between. Being able to create and perpetuate plausible lies seems to be a requirement of the job.
At first, I didn't take to Mrs. May when she was running for PM, but I'm changing my mind about her. She's quietly getting on with what she promised to do, and we'll see how her policies work out as time goes on. The lady's got her hands full. She's taken on more than a few problems which David Cameron left her, but he and Gordon Brown inherited 101 problems caused by the Blair government. David lied to the public and also made decisions without Parliamentary votes. His popularity declined every time he did this, but many people voted for him because they were frightened of the alternative. Luckily, the British public were fed up to the teeth of it all and demanded a referendum, which they won. You can't run a country if you ignore the needs of the people. So many people and organisations suffered under the rules and regulations which were brought in, that I think a Muppet with decent promises would've won! Mrs. May seems to be on the right track atm, but because she's not being loud, no one's sure of her exact plans and what she's able to execute. I know that folk're feeling more relaxed, employment's up - and the price of coffee remains the same! : )
At first, I didn't take to Mrs. May when she was running for PM, but I'm changing my mind about her. She's quietly getting on with what she promised to do, and we'll see how her policies work out as time goes on. The lady's got her hands full. She's taken on more than a few problems which David Cameron left her, but he and Gordon Brown inherited 101 problems caused by the Blair government. David lied to the public and also made decisions without Parliamentary votes. His popularity declined every time he did this, but many people voted for him because they were frightened of the alternative. Luckily, the British public were fed up to the teeth of it all and demanded a referendum, which they won. You can't run a country if you ignore the needs of the people. So many people and organisations suffered under the rules and regulations which were brought in, that I think a Muppet with decent promises would've won! Mrs. May seems to be on the right track atm, but because she's not being loud, no one's sure of her exact plans and what she's able to execute. I know that folk're feeling more relaxed, employment's up - and the price of coffee remains the same! : )
Re: Wrong tactics
I grew up in a town which functioned under Home Rule, even after we incorporated as a city, nothing changed, UNTIL, it became a 4th Class City. This is when outsiders, Poly-TICK-ians, are allowed to come in and take over. Then everything changed for the worst and has been going steadily downhill ever since.
We went from no city taxes to a few small necessary taxes, then suddenly after becoming a 4th class city, taxes began to soar to pay for all the new poly-tick-ians and their onslaught of new offices.
But I guess I shouldn't complain. After I moved south, I quickly learned what truly crooked governments can get by with.
Here is a simple example of what I mean.
Back home, we paid our real estate taxes to the county, the city did not collect real estate taxes. This covers all the government services, including police, fire, and ambulance.
When a city has their own police, fire, or ambulance, the county must give back to the city, the funds the county collected for those services.
When I first moved south, we were in an unincorporated area, so only paid real estate taxes to the county. But two years later the city annexed us, so now we are in the city, and we must pay the city tax AND the county tax. The city tax is higher than the county tax. So are paying BOTH the city AND the county for police, fire, and ambulance, however, down here, we are charged if we use those services. It costs 600 dollars to summon a fire truck to your home, I think an ambulance is charged almost as much. In other words, we are paying real estate taxes to TWO Separate Entities for the same services, and then getting charged extra if we use certain services.
Instead of one or two real estate tax bills, I get four of them each year, which makes our taxes here double of what they were back home where everything, including our parks, museums, zoo, art galleries, etc. were all free.
Nothing is free down here.
They claim we don't have Personal Property Taxes, but we do, they just call them other names, such as Wheel Tax.
They claim we have no State Income Tax, but we do, if you have any other source of business income, like working from your home, and then they tax everything from pencils and paperclips to all of your office equipment, even if it's your personal equipment. If you use it even once for a tabletop business, then it becomes taxable as business equipment.
I had better stop before my blood pressure gets any higher, hi hi...
We went from no city taxes to a few small necessary taxes, then suddenly after becoming a 4th class city, taxes began to soar to pay for all the new poly-tick-ians and their onslaught of new offices.
But I guess I shouldn't complain. After I moved south, I quickly learned what truly crooked governments can get by with.
Here is a simple example of what I mean.
Back home, we paid our real estate taxes to the county, the city did not collect real estate taxes. This covers all the government services, including police, fire, and ambulance.
When a city has their own police, fire, or ambulance, the county must give back to the city, the funds the county collected for those services.
When I first moved south, we were in an unincorporated area, so only paid real estate taxes to the county. But two years later the city annexed us, so now we are in the city, and we must pay the city tax AND the county tax. The city tax is higher than the county tax. So are paying BOTH the city AND the county for police, fire, and ambulance, however, down here, we are charged if we use those services. It costs 600 dollars to summon a fire truck to your home, I think an ambulance is charged almost as much. In other words, we are paying real estate taxes to TWO Separate Entities for the same services, and then getting charged extra if we use certain services.
Instead of one or two real estate tax bills, I get four of them each year, which makes our taxes here double of what they were back home where everything, including our parks, museums, zoo, art galleries, etc. were all free.
Nothing is free down here.
They claim we don't have Personal Property Taxes, but we do, they just call them other names, such as Wheel Tax.
They claim we have no State Income Tax, but we do, if you have any other source of business income, like working from your home, and then they tax everything from pencils and paperclips to all of your office equipment, even if it's your personal equipment. If you use it even once for a tabletop business, then it becomes taxable as business equipment.
I had better stop before my blood pressure gets any higher, hi hi...
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Icey
Re: Wrong tactics
I've heard other people with similar gripes Gary, so it's not just you. The more we go "forward", the worse things become. Obviously, taxes have to be paid, but now it seems that we have people whose only job it is, is to suggest new ways of taxing people even further. The people who do this job, are called politicians!
At the moment, our police, fire and ambulance services cost nothing. That's to say, that money for this comes out of the coffers which working people've paid into, but whether a person's employed/paid tax or not, the things're available to all, the same as seeing a doctor or receiving hospital treatment, which again, costs nothing. The position's been deteriorating for a while now though, with a cutback in police officers. Ambulances're sent out if the caller fulfills the criteria deemed to be necessary. This's sometimes cost lives, because it's impossible to diagnose someone's condition over the phone, just by answering a few questions. The fire service still responds to calls, but apart from that, it's pot luck and a post code lottery.
At the moment, our police, fire and ambulance services cost nothing. That's to say, that money for this comes out of the coffers which working people've paid into, but whether a person's employed/paid tax or not, the things're available to all, the same as seeing a doctor or receiving hospital treatment, which again, costs nothing. The position's been deteriorating for a while now though, with a cutback in police officers. Ambulances're sent out if the caller fulfills the criteria deemed to be necessary. This's sometimes cost lives, because it's impossible to diagnose someone's condition over the phone, just by answering a few questions. The fire service still responds to calls, but apart from that, it's pot luck and a post code lottery.
Re: Wrong tactics
I think the biggest problem is there is way to much waste as even small town governments grow larger.
Naturally, when our town was small, we only had one all purpose fire truck. Then as we grew larger, we needed another type of fire truck to reach the taller buildings, but we still only had one team of firefighters, which is actually three teams on different shifts. We also had trained volunteer firemen who stood ready if the team was out on a call, just in case a second call came in.
Although we had no new buildings, and the number of houses only increased by like 45 homes, when the poly-tick-ians took over, suddenly we needed two more fire trucks, a fire chiefs truck, and a utility truck. Plus they added two more full teams, each team then had 3 supervisors and 2 assistants to the chief. The number of people employed by the firehouse went from 15 to over 80 almost overnight. The expense budget jumped from 250,000 per year to adding another million dollars to it. Which was more than three times the city got back from the county to cover our services, so everyone had a major tax hike to cover this, along with other tax hikes to cover other government services. We really didn't need that many people, as most of them were idle 90% of the time.
Naturally, when our town was small, we only had one all purpose fire truck. Then as we grew larger, we needed another type of fire truck to reach the taller buildings, but we still only had one team of firefighters, which is actually three teams on different shifts. We also had trained volunteer firemen who stood ready if the team was out on a call, just in case a second call came in.
Although we had no new buildings, and the number of houses only increased by like 45 homes, when the poly-tick-ians took over, suddenly we needed two more fire trucks, a fire chiefs truck, and a utility truck. Plus they added two more full teams, each team then had 3 supervisors and 2 assistants to the chief. The number of people employed by the firehouse went from 15 to over 80 almost overnight. The expense budget jumped from 250,000 per year to adding another million dollars to it. Which was more than three times the city got back from the county to cover our services, so everyone had a major tax hike to cover this, along with other tax hikes to cover other government services. We really didn't need that many people, as most of them were idle 90% of the time.
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Icey
Re: Wrong tactics
Precisely. This sort of thing can't possibly work, but it happens over here too. Many of the created "positions're" really surplus to requirement, but at Council level, each one's allotted so much money a year to put towards the most essential services. If the Council manages to be frugal, instead of being able to save the excess money for the following year's budget, it has to be spent on SOMETHING, or it's distributed between other areas who haven't managed to budget so well. Holding the lame ducks up seems pointless to me, and just shows that whoever's in charge isn't doing their job very well. The waste, as you say, is criminal.
Re: Wrong tactics
That's one of the biggest differences between a well operated business and the government.
At least the businesses I've worked for or have known about.
In business, the further they can remain below budget, the faster they grow and the more profits they make.
In government, it seems they always run way over budget, even if artificially by adding bloat, which raises our taxes.
At least the businesses I've worked for or have known about.
In business, the further they can remain below budget, the faster they grow and the more profits they make.
In government, it seems they always run way over budget, even if artificially by adding bloat, which raises our taxes.