Saturday, January 05, 2008

CNN: WORK FOR TAXES --"A TERRIFIC IDEA"

CNN broadcast a story today about the proposed Greenburgh work for taxes initiative. They also interviewed participants in other communities that have this program. The news anchor called the concept "a terrific idea".
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is a terrific idea, but its implementation isn't feasible for a small town, especially with ongoing financial woes like Greenburgh.

1/05/2008 10:04 PM
Anonymous said...

Some localities that have this program in the USA are smaller than Greenburgh.

1/06/2008 4:25 PM
Anonymous said...

Name them.

1/06/2008 4:27 PM
Anonymous said...

This is a terrible idea, making seniors work for very little money, after they have worked there whole lives.

Paul why don't you just give the seniors a bigger tax break and let them play bingo and enjoy there golden years!!!!!

1/07/2008 1:26 PM
Anonymous said...

It's a shame that CNN can't do the simple math.
Feiner budgeted $12,500 for a pilot program for 25 seniors. Direct cost per senior ($12,500 divided by 25) is $500.
Amount of taxes each senior will be permitted to work off is $700.
Add $500 and $700 the total is $1,200.
Expand the project to include all of the eligible seniors in Town at Feiner's own estimate of 500 and the direct cost is $600,000 (that is 500 seniors times $1,200 per senior).
Use Feiner's budget presentations which equated $300,000 in expenses to a 1% rise in the Town outside tax rate.
This program will cost every taxpayer in the Town outside a tax rate increase of 2% in her/his 2009 taxes.
Before even paying for what we have now, we are guaranteed an increase of 2% in the tax rate next year. How can anyone who seriously wants lower taxes see this plan as anything other than the most vile form of political pandering?
To lower the taxes of 600 households, Feiner is willing to raise everyone else's taxes by a significant amount.
It probably doesn't matter to CNN anchors, each of whom earns a minimum of $2 million annually (and some of your favorites earn as much as $10 million) for reading the news, but it sure makes a difference to the rest of us.
If the Town simply wanted to grant a $700 tax credit to the properties owned by those 500 seniors it would only cost $350,000 - and the $250,000 saved could be used to operate the cybermobile, which would be a demonstrable improvement in the seniors' quality of life.
"Make work" jobs like those Feiner proposes for seniors detract from one's dignity. There is nothing wrong with working, but convicts were put to "work" breaking stones because it was demeaning. Feiner now proposes to do the same sort of thing to seniors. He can't provide meaningful work because it would require waivers from the unions - and they are smart enough to know that those waivers would be very bad for their members. Why pay union wages when you can get it done for significantly less?

1/07/2008 4:35 PM
Anonymous said...

STUPID IDEA

1/08/2008 2:47 AM
Anonymous said...

CNN STANDS FOR COMMUNIST NEWS NETWORK CONSIDER THE SOURCE.

1/08/2008 9:10 PM

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