Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house and lineage of David,)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

The Vanishing Border Fence

Actually, my title is inaccurate - typically, something must exist before it can vanish.

As shocking as it may sound, Congress has, yet again, reneged on promised border enforcement steps. This time, it appears Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) have led the charge to essentially kill the fence promised in late 2006:

Congress is poised to give the President a $516 billion omnibus spending bill that would downgrade previous mandates for a double-layered border fence to be built along the southern border.

The Secure Fence Act of 2006 required “two layers of reinforced fencing” be constructed in five separate areas, but Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.) slipped a provision into a fiscal year 2008 spending bill that weakens the law.

More details, including how much (little) fence has been built, are available at: Omnibus Busts Border Fence.

HotAir is reporting that Duncan Hunter (R-CA) slammed Congress for the gutting the fence (video available at link) and Malkin has also taken them to task:

GOP Majority Leader John Boehner tried to blame the House Democrat majority: “The fact that this was buried in a bloated, 3,500-page omnibus speaks volumes about the Democrats’ unserious approach on border security and illegal immigration,” he said. “Gutting the Secure Fence Act will make our borders less secure, but it’s consistent with the pattern of behavior we’ve seen all year from this majority.” But it’s border state Republicans who’ve been gunning to undermine the law while the ink was still fresh.

Seems like it is worthwhile contacting your Senators and Representative and politely, but firmly:
1. Ask if they support the Hutchinson/Cornyn fence provision in the “omnibus spending bill”.
2. Remind them to uphold their promises, especially on this issue.

For those in Utah:

Click here for Sen. Bennett and Hatch web contact form links and phone numbers.

Utah Representatives
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT 1st)
Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT 2nd)
Rep. Chris Cannon (R- UT 3rd)
*If you are unsure who your Representative is, use the form at the top left of the House site.

Finally, it would be wise to call House/Senate Republican leaders with the same message:
Senator Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541
Representative John Boehner (202) 225-6205

Davis County Tax Lust (update)

Davis county residents appear to be viewed as a bureaucrat’s cash cow. Especially, if you smoke.

To begin with, the Standard Examiner reported that “Davis health officials eye higher tax on cigarettes” (article isn’t available on line). The article notes (emphasis added):

One [legislative bill] could increase the tax on tobacco products by 50 percent to 75 percent. Utah ranks No. 34 in the taxes it collects from tobacco products, [Davis County Health Director, Lewis Garret] said.

The proposed tax may mean an extra $45 million in revenue for the state, Garret said.

I don’t smoke and really don’t like the smell etc. but I am also fed up with how smokers seem to be the never ending target of a modern day witch hunt. I can understand restricting smoking indoors (in public buildings/areas). We are beyond that, however, and are now harassing smokers in public outdoor areas, such as parks, with smoking bans. Soon, we will move beyond that and ban them from smoking in their yards (neighbors may be affected by smoke) and then their homes (family and/or animal cruelty). Additionally, smokers keep getting hammered with taxes and the lust for that tax money is insatiable.

I know the (dubious) argument is that increased costs might help them quit smoking. However, that is nothing more than government dictating how they should live and erodes the right of freedom to engage in a legal practice. If we really believe that smoking is so terrible that a whiff of it will kill us, then we should entirely ban it (you know, ala prohibition). Of course, that would mean government would loose it’s favorite cash cow.

In my opinion, it’s time we leave these folks alone (my preference) or just outright ban smoking.

But wait - I’m not done yet. There’s also the issue of UTA giving Davis County a “second chance” to get things right and enact another tax increase. At least the County commission held out this long but it appears we are looking forward to UTA getting it’s way:

Milburn said UTA expressed a desire to provide “the additional information we deem necessary for us to make an informed decision, and we appreciated that.”

So far, the party caucus tough talk on taxes from Commissioner Milburn seems to have no backing. We’ll know for sure at the end of January.

UTA lost revenue when we removed the tax from food. Instead of making users pay a greater portion of their quasi-government benefit, UTA wants us to continue to dole out our money and keep a big subsidy afloat. In a letter entitled “Davis residents resent tax after tax” one resident stated (emphasis added):

UTA is whining because residents didn’t approve another 0.05 percent tax increase. Now we’ve done it: UTA is going under, having to close its doors.

Here’s a novel idea: UTA, pay your own way! Why am I supposed to pay you money so you can make a profit? You don’t let me ride for free! So why should you?

Wrapping things up is the mandatory recycling fee - a new way for government to extract money from your wallet. I recycle a lot of my waste and don’t feel the need to force others to pay for my convenience. It’s nice to know I’m not the only recycler who feels this way:

…Bountiful established a free recycling center at the city shops area which myself and many, many others use.

If there are some residents that want this proposed “cost” curbside service, let them do it on a voluntary basis like before, and let the rest of us continue to use the free service which has worked great for us.

We pay enough fees and taxes and having something that is free taken away from us and replaced with a mandatory charge service doesn’t seem right. Those who like the free service that is provided and working efficiently need to speak up before it is too late.

Finally, don’t count on our ‘conservative’ Governor to be of any assistance. He believes we got enough back from last year’s tax surplus (overcharge) and we don’t deserve a penny of our overcharged money back this year. Fortunately, some legislators are batting for the tax payers but I’m not sure how good a chance they have with a tax-and-spend Governor and plethora of fiscally liberal legislators. Bummer.

UPDATE (1/2/08): The Commissioners appear to have stood up to UTA, for now.  Hopefully, this is the beginning of a trend.

Christmas Support For Our Troops

Just a reminder not to forget those who sacrifice so much for us (our military and their families).

I encourage all to donate to a military support charity during the season of giving and gratitude.

There a myriad of reputable choices at America Supports You. Trust me, you will find a charity for our soldiers or their families that best fits you at the site.

Here are a few I like (my own list - I’m not sure if they are all listed at the above link):
The USO
Operation Give (Utah based)
Fisher House
Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund

Again, go to the America Support You link and look through the categories. Heaps of charities are available.

Finally, someone else worth considering is Michael Yon. He’s done a super job reporting from the front lines of both US and British forces. Click the link and take a look at his dispatches. He recently put up a series on the British in the south. I’ve noted before that the British deserve our heartfelt thanks and admiration for their heroism. They are a great, dependable ally.

Thanks Sheriff Bud Cox

According to the Standard Examiner (sorry the story is not available on-line), Davis County Sheriff Bud Cox is signing up the office for ICE’s 287(g) program. This will help put a dent in illegal immigration and identity theft. Hopefully, the County will follow his lead and begin requiring social security verification of itself and those it contracts to. Doing so will make it much harder for identity thieves to find work with our tax money.

It will be a while before the 287(g) program kicks in, however. Due to the demand for training, Davis County is on ICE’s waiting list but it’s a step forward nonetheless.

South Davis Tax Update

I don’t have a lot of time right now so this will be very quick:

First, the RAP tax/theater folks will be happy with an infusion of $5 million of your money (this is not Rap tax money at this time, by the way).

Second, the Bountiful Historical Foundation is asking for donations so that they can capitalize on more of your money ($750,000) offered to them.  The $750,000 is a pretty sweet deal that would, likely, be unavailable to others without such close ‘connections’ to local government officials.  That is, several current and former city council members are involved and you’ll never guess who is hosting the beneficiary’s site.  See: City Slush Fund$ (Bountiful) for details and the answer to the “guess who”.

Frankly, the above behavior doesn’t bode that well for use of those uncommitted RAP tax funds…unless you’re part of the club, that is.  Additionally, this isn’t the only question regarding potential conflict of interest I’m concerned about with the RAP tax.