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Petroleum subsidies are the reason gas here is $3.50 per gallon and not $3.50 per liter like it is in Europe. I'm arguing against party affiliation here, but those federal subsidies ensure that we keep refining jobs domestic (hooray job creation, said every politician ever) and that we get our gas cheaper than other first-world countries. Like, four times cheaper. Your taxes contribute. You see a return when you fill up your car and it doesn't cost you half of your miserable paycheck.

Prevailing wages for contractor employees (and any employee, really) is a political issue, which I'll say is "economically unsettled" for the sake of entertaining your position that somehow it's fine to shortchange people. You can hold whatever opinion you want there and that's fine, but treating it as anything other than opinion is a deliberate falsity. There is nothing objective in any assessment leveled at the concept of prevailing wages.

The Essential Air Service as of 2011 (sup) is funded by the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, a federal holding which is built entirely on excise taxes. You don't contribute a cent if you never fly, and it's been running a surplus for years. Is it still wasteful? Sure. Do you pay for it with your taxes? Nope.

I'm not going to address the examples involving costs lower than 1 million because I don't care enough and they're infinitesimal on the federal scale. They might actually be paid for by federal money, whatever, they're probably stupid and wasteful but they're so inconsequential that bitching about them in the face of all the benefits of paying your taxes just makes you look like a whiny child.

That last one's pretty egregious (despite costing less than 1 million). Looks like the guy resigned, so it's probably not a pattern. Though I guess once is a pattern if you're really reaching (and don't understand probability).

If destruction exists, we must destroy everything.
Shuruppak Yuratuhl
Slaad Shrpk Breizh

gas here is 1.20/litre how much is that in per gallon?

$4.50 per gallon. And you guys have massive oil reserves. So you see just how much this benefits us.

If destruction exists, we must destroy everything.
Shuruppak Yuratuhl
Slaad Shrpk Breizh

It was more of a question on the income tax returns. I give you X money, but I only owe Y money, so you give me back Z money.

Why not charge me Y money? Save a lot of money on ink, paper, postage, and the people who calculate or deliver that shit.

There is bloat in government spending. Also, cutting spending alone will not solve our problems.

I win the thread.

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That would make a lot more sense and save all the money the economy dumps into tax compliance. They should set up multiple tax rates based on number of dependents, eliminate deductions, collect the tax and do away with this end-of-the-year nonsense.

If keeping refining in the US, creating jobs through the petroleum sector, and providing for a secure energy infrastructure was really a goal of congress, they'd have made it economically feasible to build new refineries in this country. As it stands, there hasn't been a new one built since Jimmy Carter was president, and the majority of our refineries are along coastal areas where they're at risk due to hurricanes and other storms. It would hypocritical of me, as someone with a belief in a free market and an opponent of the current state of cronyism between DC and industry, to change my mind about unnecessary subsidies just because it allegedly saves me $10 at the pump every time I fill up. Politicians (most of them republican, to their discredit) pouring taxpayer funds into the pockets of extremely profitable industries is a senseless waste of funds.

No one would be "shortchanged" by repealing the Davis-Bacon act, and if anything the act "shortchanges" small, non-union companies by removing the competitive advantage they have over larger unionized companies. Are you suggesting that paying someone $10 an hour instead of $20 an hour to stand by the road and turn a sign is "shortchanging" them? If you remove the artificially inflated union wage scale from the picture those wages would be lower, but while the guy turning the sign (an entry-level, unskilled position) wouldn't make nearly as much, skilled equipment operators would still demand a higher salary, even if it isn't as much of a wage as the union scale. If people are willing to work for less so that they can compete and capture the job, they should be allowed to do so.

The excise tax funds being used to fund wasteful practices in the EAS would be better spent on maintained roads, inspected bridges, speed limits, highway patrolmen, and federal regulatory agencies...or do you not appreciate roads, cops, and the FDA?

All those wasteful expenditures that are less <$1 million add up. They're merely examples of a large number of programs that are a waste of federal funds. While eliminating one of these programs isn't going to fix the federal budget, eliminating large numbers of them would make an impact. Unfortunately, most of these types of programs are the result of earmarks/pork spending, and probably aren't going to go away any time soon without significant political pressure from voters.

At least we agree that the GSA trip to Las Vegas was over-the-top. I don't believe that's something that happens with regularity, but I do think that the federal government could save a lot of money...and provide a layer of redundancy/security in the event of catastrophe...if we started moving federal offices out of areas like DC/Northern VA where real estate is expensive and the cost of living/doing business is significantly higher. With modern telecom there's no reason why a department or bureau has to be in an expensive urban/suburban area. place. While it makes sense for Cabinet Secretaries and other important officials to remain in DC, having their subordinates elsewhere would provide a chain-of-command should anything (God forbid) happen in DC.

I don't think government is pointless and serves no purpose. I just think that we've let it grow wasteful and a bit ridiculous.

/endrant



I'm gonna sex you so hard for that.

Your Pal,
Jubber

AKA "The Gun"
AKA "ROFeraL"

World Renowned Mexican Forklift Artiste

That's not how administrative spending works, unfortunately. Anything gained from the excise tax has to be used in that department, or to the deficit. Moving money in any other way requires a bill to pass, and there's nothing the current Congress loves more than not passing fucking anything. So yeah, it'd be nice to use it as you suggest, but that's literally (not hyperbole) impossible. So yeah, nice try on using my line, but no dice old man.

If destruction exists, we must destroy everything.
Shuruppak Yuratuhl
Slaad Shrpk Breizh

I love your face, Frenchie. You should skip out on your adult responsibilities and come down with Zaryi next week so we can have beers.

Your Pal,
Jubber

AKA "The Gun"
AKA "ROFeraL"

World Renowned Mexican Forklift Artiste

Surprise! I'll be in Herndon that week, too. (I think that'll be the 6th total week)

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sunshine.kittens.bubblegum.happythoughts

You already told me you were going to be here! We're supposed to be planning to have super-awesome funtimes with Zaryi!

Your Pal,
Jubber

AKA "The Gun"
AKA "ROFeraL"

World Renowned Mexican Forklift Artiste

I generally get pissed when my tax dollars are wasted on building missiles we don't need and tanks for a ground warfare that will never happen.

Given how much Uncle Sam takes from me being a small business owner (an actual job creator), it really grinds my gears.

You're aware that the people who coined the term "job creator" did so to make the top 1% of the wealthy look somewhat compassionate to the common man, right?

RETIRED.
[armory loc="US,Bleeding Hollow"]Mayonaise[/armory]
[armory loc="US,Bleeding Hollow"]Jerkonaise[/armory]

Yes, which is why I used the term actual job creator.

A rich trader on Wall Street doesn't create jobs. A person who uses his own cash to fund/start a small business, which then grows and hires people is a job creator.

My reminder was mainly pointed at Mr.Tuhl.

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sunshine.kittens.bubblegum.happythoughts

I probably can't manage, sadly. ;[

If destruction exists, we must destroy everything.
Shuruppak Yuratuhl
Slaad Shrpk Breizh