This should prove to be a very interesting problem to solve.

Rutland residents are remiss in paying their property taxes, probably due to the economy.
Shifting the property tax burden to the income tax somehow doesn’t seem to be a solution, since unemployment appears to be the culprit.

Delinquent Taxes Up 20 Percent In Vermont City

$600,000 Due To Rutland City

RUTLAND, Vt. — The Rutland Treasurer says unpaid taxes in the city are up 20 percent in the second quarter over the same period last year.

Treasurer Wendy Wilton said that about $600,000 the city was due to collect by the Nov. 16 deadline was not paid.

The amount is just under 10 percent of the city’s expected tax collections and it’s about $150,000 more than last year.

The Rutland Herald reported that Wilton believes the increase in overdue taxes is another symptom of the tough economic times.

OK kiddies, can you come up with an answer for Unca Shummy?
Use your Vermont school taught math skills to tell Mr. Wannabe Guv how much to raise the income tax to balance the State’s books.

If you haven’t enough information to solve that equation, try solving this one.

How many homes does the City of Rutland have to foreclose and sell for taxes before the appraisal drop below recapture values?
For added credit, establish from where the money comes to pay for all the legal and bank fees, lost interest payments and property maintenance.

Vermont’s newest office, the Progressive Office for Sustainability, declared that all of the increase will go toward Whirligigs and rooftop hotplates. Oh yeah, and subsidies too.

Vt’s Largest Electric Utility Seeks To Raise Rates

CVPS Wants 5.9 Percent Rate Hike

RUTLAND, Vt. — Vermont’s largest electric utility is asking for permission to raise its rates by 5.91 percent.

Central Vermont Public Service Corp. President Bob Young said the money raised by the increase is needed to offset increased power and transmission costs and reliability improvements to the utility’s system.

If approved by the Public Service Board, a residential customer who uses 500 kilowatt hours of electricity a month would see their bill go up by $4.40. [snip]

Raise the rates, ratepayers cut back.
This is what the sustainability crowd wants.
They believe in the great socialist principle of the zero sum game, if I win, you lose. Consequently, to have equality, everyone has to lose. So, it will be.

Conservation for artificial reasons kills the targeted business, particularly those regulated by governmental fiat.
After this increase, ratepayers will conserve to save on their monthly cost, leaving CVPS with the same base line costs but lower revenues, once again to raise rates triggering more consumer cutbacks.
There is a finite limit to how much of a cutback ratepayers can make in usage before they either go bankrupt or get subsidized by the taxpayers.

Keep the utilities from increasing the rates results in infrastructure disrepair; we finally subsidize the quasi-public utilities with taxpayer funds.

Isn’t socialized meddling helpful? Marxist economics is such a pure system so well grounded in logic.

The hog trough is more orderly!

All photos by J. Kirk Edwards-courtesy of the Eagle newspaper, Addison County- All rights reserved

I thank Mr. Edwards for sending these photos of the Crown Point (Champlain) Bridge to me and graciously allowing their use.

The ominous heavy flapping of gallinaceous wings bodes ill for the remnants of Vermont taxpayers.

Scrawny starved AOT chickens coming to roost are clogging bridges, closing them to traffic. Following them are the heavily wattled, bloated body turkeys of the Legislature crashing into the feeding trough, stealing more tax dollars acutely needed to clear out the roosting, defecating birds.
Successive years of stealing funds from the AOT budget, these turkeys in the Vermont Legislature will find out that Civil Engineering is far more important than Social Engineering.

Oh the pain, the pain of this lesson, since the tax dollars are not extant and the children will truly suffer.

How will the state shell out for the bridge and road repairs? More taxes on fuel should especially appeal to business and the growing number of the unemployed. Tourists, provided they’re able to find a way into the state that won’t destroy their vehicles, ought to be thrilled. Maybe an extra 8% R & M tax to elevate Vermont’s Vermontness! You know, make it “special.”

What will Chummy Shummy and the Progs tell the kids of the families who were laid off in West Addison when the bridge closed. Maybe that great line the liberals use will work, “It’s for the children.” Yeah, that sounds good, “We shut down the businesses just for you!”

So is Vermont open for business? Remember that dunbass slogan?

Companies from below Middlebury to Ferrisburgh have employees from NY State using this bridge; one business, the Dock Doctors manufactures in Ferrisburgh and does major work through their showroom in Lake George.
Vergennes and Middlebury businesses such as Goodrich and Porter Hospital as well as The Bridge Restaurant are feeling the brunt. These are just a few of many. This isn’t the only problem facing this state but it is the biggest as of now. Ask them how they like their tax dollars at work! This will do wonders for them.

Other Vermonters work in Fort Ti at IP. Vermont will be collecting higher fuel taxes plus with the increase in driving. Maybe the Addison County Jackass Party can give them hints on how to conserve on their fuel costs!

Ask Senator Ayer what to do. Since she was elected, she hasn’t done a damn thing except meddle in Nanny state BS and vote to spend more dollars on social engineering instead of civil engineering.

They fix one bridge while another bridge over Rte 2  closes. Bridges over the Winooski River are bad. A bridge over the New Haven River on Rte. 116 south of Bristol is single lane since Silent Cal left office.
Vermont is quite far behind the curve on repairs; that doesn’t cover regular maintenance on the other structures, roadways, culverts and mowing.

The entire eastern side of Vermont avoids the sales tax by shoping in New Hampshire; that will continue until the bridges over the Connecticut River rot and fall into the water.

I suppose we’ll see the Bennington-Hoosick fault shift creating a rift valley with Champlain flowing to Long Island Sound. That will stop westward migration, leaving Massachusetts as a way out.

Why would anyone want to go there?

I feel safe here in Vermont knowing our fiscal leaders, like Sens. Ancel, Bartlett and Ayer have a solid grip on reality.

Of course they do, that’s why Vermont’s shortfall isn’t $300,000,000.00 and growing.

We’re so lucky to have them!

New Mexico faces Medicaid Cuts!

Nearly one-in-four New Mexicans receives health care assistance from the state or federal government, including Medicare that covers older Americans and Medicaid that covers children, poor adults, and the disabled. Medicaid is New Mexico’s largest health care program and it accounts for 11% of state spending. New Mexico’s Medicaid program faces a budget shortfall of up to $300M in the next two years that will result in reductions in coverage, payments to providers, and/or services:

“Options range from reducing or eliminating benefits, such as dental care for poor adults, to lowering the reimbursement rates for doctors and other providers, according to New Mexico Human Services Secretary Pam Hyde. If drastic cost-cutting becomes necessary, she said, the state might need to scrap entire portions of Medicaid, such as a program to help low-income workers with insurance coverage, or revamp Medicaid to provide a minimum amount of services.

“We know there is going to be some cost containment. The only question is how much,” Hyde said in an interview last week.” [snip]

Reduced services, limits on payments to health care providers, onerous bureaucracy, and increased taxes … it could be a preview of ObamaCare.

What do you mean “COULD BE?”

Of course, in Vermont, anyone accumulating a quarter million in any account is suspected of insensitive and cruel activity.
Just don’t advertise!

Effective May 20, 2009, deposits at FDIC-insured institutions are now insured up to at least $250,000 per depositor through December 31, 2013.

On January 1, 2014, the standard insurance amount will return to $100,000 per depositor for all account categories except for IRAs and other certain retirement accounts which will remain at $250,000 per depositor.

This supersedes the October 3, 2008 changes.
The extension announced on May 20, 2009, does not apply to the Transaction Account Guarantee Program.

The unlimited coverage under the Transaction Account Guarantee Program is only in effect for depositors at participating institutions through December 31, 2009.

Warning over US cash-for-clunkers scheme

The popular US cash-for-clunkers programme may be drawing money from other consumer purchases and could also undermine future car sales, US economists have warned.

Add these payments to the monthly budget and we see how retail spending shapes up for the next 1½ years.
Layoffs, foreclosures and bankruptcies are rising still and forecast to continue on this path through 2011.
The Obamaconomy doesn’t bode well for state income, corporate, rooms & meals or sales tax receipts.

Motor vehicle and parts sales, down 8 per cent on the year, jumped 2.4 per cent from June, according to data from the US commerce department on Thursday, but other retail sales fell 0.6 per cent in July.

“With income flows very constrained and household balance sheets over- leveraged, any incremental increase is likely to weigh on non-automotive sales,” said Joshua Shapiro, chief US Economist at MFR, a consultancy, noting that fading interest suggests current car sales are borrowed from the future. [snip]

Voters eagerly await how the Dynamic Duo will bridge the Slough of Squander that is the Progressive’s inadequacy in all matters legislative.
With the OVERRIDE of Gov. Douglas’ veto, you own the debacle on your lonesome.
Being a Libertarian, I don’t have a dog in this fight; I don’t like one party rule however.
It would be condign to see a Prog Governor plus all you Jackass Party legislators, vote your heart’s desires for two years.

California would be a model of success in comparison.

The simple Senator comes to Vermont to tell you bibbed overall wearing fools how he’s working for you.

Meanwhile he’s voting YOUR tax dollars to pay for every illegal’s dream of free everything on your dime including ObamaCare.

The only NO vote cast on health care was for him to join the mess.

Here’s how he votes to protect your money from going to illegals taking American’s jobs.

Sanders and Welch are no better; it’s your tax dollars spent paying for other countries to rid their problems ON YOUR WALLET.

Congressman Welch voted so that ANY illegal that can get here has FREE health care! You have to pay for theirs and yours too.
Nice of him to spend your tax dollars that way.

It is clear that the Democratic leadership is keen to pass H.R. 3200 as written because it will allow illegal aliens to access taxpayer-funded health care.
Rep. Deal’s amendment would have prevented this from happening. Yet, you voted in the Energy and Commerce Committee against verifying the eligibility of government health care applicants. Why?

Do you really believe that the USA should pay for ANY AND ALL illegal aliens non-essential health services even though this will cost American and Vermont taxpayers billions of dollars?

Any and everybody who crossed the border, we pay for ANY AND ALL THEIR HEALTH CARE.

That’s what you voted for us to pay. Isn’t that JUST swell.

Why did you vote against Rep. Deal’s amendment, which prevents illegal aliens to access taxpayer-funded health services? Are you concerned that an illegal alien will be denied emergency care?
Why weren’t you paying attention to your own Democratic-appointed lawyer to the Committee who stated during the hearing, that the Deal’s amendment would not prevent illegal aliens from receiving emergency care?

You need to get your priorities straight and start protecting the interests of Vermont taxpayers and not the interests of illegal aliens! We pay taxes, they don’t! We pay your salary, they don’t!

Get it right! Get Pelosi’s hand out from under your shirt; Stop being her puppet!

It’s July in Burlington, raining, and businesses are troubled. Tough times are afoot; everybody is in debt. Credit is the order of the day.

Suddenly, the door to City Hall opens, a DC administrative swell walks in, lays a 100 dollar bill on the Mayor’s desk, announces he’s inspecting the town for Political Correctness. Non-compliance means loss of the $100 bill.

The Mayor takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to pay the City’s debt to BED.

BED snatches the 100 dollar bill, and rushes to pay the debt to the electrical supplier.

The electrical supplier takes the 100 dollar bill, and hurries to pay the fuel supplier for company delivery trucks.

The fuel supplier grabs the 100 dollar bill and races to pay off the town’s prostitute who, in these hard times, gave her “services” on credit.

The hooker runs to the Mayor’s Office, and pays her fines with the 100 dollar bill.

With barely a moment to spare the Mayor then places the 100 dollar bill back on his desk so that the DC administrative swell doesn’t suspect anything.

With great pomp, the swell announces a shortage of Political Correctness, palms his 100 dollar bill, and leaves town.

No one earned anything.
However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.

And that, folks, is how the stimulus works.
The United States Government is doing business this way, every day.

Feel better?

The Office of Thrift Supervision, a misnamed division of the Treasury will save the government money in numerous ways. The Vermont Tiger, posting on this subject pointed out several areas of egregious waste such as unused e-mail addresses, the Army stacking more soldiers onto R&R flights and the best of all, the Forest Service will not be able to sneak up on lichen, since the new trucks will be left white.
One pristine line of spending untrammeled by the Office of Thrift Supervision is Miz Michelle’s retinue, the coterie of lushly paid lackeys, toadies and adjuncts. This hasn’t dissuaded her from taking into service an unprecedented number of professional fawners to cater to her every whim and to satisfy her every exigency in the throes of the Great Recession.
Remember, Herself receives no emolument, for the wearer of the glass slipper performs no official duties.
Why then does Miz Michelle, squander $1,271,700.00 when no other FLOTUS ever did?

Does she know how to dress herself?

1. $172,200 – Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)
2. $140,000 – Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)
3. $113,000 – Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary)
4. $102,000 – Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady)
5. Winter, Melissa E. (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
6. $90,000 – Medina, David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
7. $84,000 – Lelyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)
8. $75,000 – Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)
9. $70,000 – Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady)
10. $65,000 – Burnough, Erinn J. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
11. Reinstein, Joseph B. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
12. $62,000 – Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)
13. $60,000 – Fitts, Alan O. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady)
14. Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)
15. $52,500 – Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary To The First Lady)
16. $50,000 – Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide To The First Lady)
17. $45,000 – Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)
18. Tubman, Samantha (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
19. $40,000 – Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
20. $36,000 – Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)
21. Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)
22. Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)

There has never been anyone in the White House at any time that has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady’s social life. One wonders why she needs so much help, at taxpayer expense, when even Hillary, only had three; Jackie Kennedy one; Laura Bush one; and prior to Mamie Eisenhower social help came from the President’s own pocket.

Note: This does not include makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and “First Hairstylist” Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom traveled aboard Air Force One to Europe.

When the Jefferson’s moved on up, they had FAR more class.