July LC Thread

[MrWookie]

Still, taxing food is awfully regressive. Most states I've lived in have groceries exempt from sales taxes but then they have higher sales taxes overall on other things. Seems better, imo.

[zikzak]

Yeah, taxing groceries is pretty evil.

[General Tsao]

seriously grocery taxes are disgusting.

tax one's income which they need to survive, tax their home that they live in and raise their family in, hell, tax their death as their loved ones grieve around them. but their groceries!!! REPULSIVE!

[zikzak]

I completely agree with your sarcastic snark, General.

[Chips Ahoy]

Sales tax is at least transparent.

The price controls and subsidies for food/agriculture are a whole other story. The price of milk is set by cartels that would be illegal if it wasn't run by the feds. Here's a 2006 story:
Dairy Industry Crushed Innovator Who Bested Price-Control System

"I still think this is a great country," Hettinga said. "In Mexico, they would have just shot me."

[[Phill]]

And again another problem in America is directly sourced to lobbying and campaign donations.

[13ball]

Originally Posted by MrWookie

They tax groceries? That sucks.

Yes it does. The article says the tax goes from 5.5 to 5.25%. It'll save my family of four about 25 bucks this year. Local taxes make the sales tax on food here almost 8 percent.

[DblBarrelJ]

More July 1 Madness!

It wouldn't be July 1st in Florida without ignoring the State's constitution and teeing off the ACLU, chiropractors, school boards and probably the Courts

After the inspirational messages law was adopted, local school districts were warned by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida that adopting policies permitting student-led inspirational messages would "very likely lead to prolonged litigation." Any district that adopted the measure could be on the hook for hundreds of thousands in legal fees.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State also is prepared to take legal action, said Alex Luchenitser, the group’s associate legal director. The law doesn’t use the word "prayer" but it still invites government-controlled prayer, Luchenitser said.

"I don’t think it’s going to happen," said the ACLU’s Florida executive director, Howard Simon. "For all of the efforts of our Legislature to try to entice school officials into joining their religious crusade, school officials are smarter than legislators."

The law’s sponsors, though, remain confident it will be implemented. Rep. Charles Van Zant, a Keystone Heights Republican who carried the bill in the House, said some school officials have told him they’ll push for allowing inspirational messages but he declined to identify them.

Sen. Gary Siplin, an Orlando Democrat who is the law’s prime sponsor, said he expects it to be an election issue for school board members.

"I would assume they don’t want to tell parents their children can’t pray in school," Siplin said.

[DblBarrelJ]

Group turns tables on Chicago gun turn-in, uses money for gun camp

A Downstate pro-gun group says it turned payouts from Chicago’s firearm buyback program last weekend into a fund-raiser for a youth summer camp — a National Rifle Association shooting camp, that is.

The city collected 5,500 guns last Saturday in the annual buyback. The city gave out $100 MasterCard gift cards for each gun and $10 cards for BB guns and replicas.

Sixty of the guns and several BB guns were turned in by the Champaign-based Guns Save Life. In return, the group received $6,240 in gift cards, said John Boch, president of the group.

Guns Save Life is known for the pro-gun signs the group posts along Interstate 57 between Chicago and Champaign. It also publishes a monthly gun journal.

Most of the money will go toward buying ammunition for an NRA youth camp in Bloomington. The rest will pay for four bolt-action rifles that will be given away to campers.

<snip>

“This was rusty, non-firing junk that we turned in,” Boch said. “We are redirecting funds from people who would work against the private ownership of firearms to help introduce the next generation to shooting safely and responsibly.”

Chi-Town Trollin..

[DblBarrelJ]

Ron Paul inducted into Congressional Baseball Hall Of Fame

Wearing a retro Astros jersey, Republican Rep. Ron Paul has become the first Texas legislator to be inducted into the CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Hall of Fame for a home run he hit in 1979.

“It’s interesting. I never thought I was much of a baseball player,” Paul told the Houston Chronicle. “I always wanted to play baseball and the only time I got to play was on the baseball team in Congress.”

The libertarian-leaning congressman retired from Congressional baseball with a .294 batting average, six runs scored and six runs batted in during seven games, according to Roll Call.

Wow.

GG RP

[2/325Falcon]

Roids test asap.

[tomdemaine]

Hall of fame after 7 games? Lol congress.

[zikzak]

Dr. Ron's baseball accomplishments are as impressive as his legislative accomplishments.

[2/325Falcon]

OH SNAP!

[Trolly McTrollson]

Originally Posted by DblBarrelJ

More July 1 Madness!

It wouldn't be July 1st in Florida without ignoring the State's constitution and teeing off the ACLU, chiropractors, school boards and probably the Courts

Good for the ACLU. Bad enough that we had to waste school time with the Pledge of Allegiance, last thing we need is a round of prayin'.