[V8] Yesterday's experience: TOTALLY NAC....

[d saad]

Colorado (Denver area) has a shiny new private toll road that no one uses
because of the high cost. Nearly $30 to drive from my brothers house in
Broomfield to the airport and back. I believe that this privatizing of
public infrastructure is the prefered method for todays conservatives - in
particular the current administration. 
Some examples are Blackwater,
Haliburton, FEMA,  Walter Reed (the portions that have failed our
soldiers were outsourced to a  Haliburton spinoff company), to name a
few. In all of these cases, these companies have massively defrauded you
and me, yet they are un-touchable via the normal legal channels. In all
cases, tax payers have paid much more and received much less than when the
supposedly bad old govt agencies ran things.

Another case in
point is right here in Boise. We now pay many times more per mile for
county road building because it is all outsourced, and the system is
totally gamed by the people who own the politicians. The county does not
even own snow plows anymore. During the next snow emergency we will have
to compete on the open market for a service that we should expect the govt
to provide as needed - especially since we have already paid for it in
advance.

Personally, I see two choices for society.
One
would be the neocon version where in Grover Norquists words, govt is
reduced to something so small and ineffectual that it can be "drowned
in a bathtub". This does not in any way reduce the amount of taxes we
would pay - just who we pay them to.
Afghanistan has a similar
system. You pay your  "taxes" or tribute or bribes or
whatever you want to call it, and maybe they will not cut off your head.
If you don't like the way your warlord (or private toll road company) is
running things - well you can try to get a redress of grievances I
suppose, but since they do not answer to voters or govt authority, you are
not likely to get far.

The other version is where we as a
society realize that we pay taxes for services one way or another. We put
people before pure corporate greed and crony capitalism, and when govt
does not respond the way we want, we change it at the ballot box.
While this system is also open to corruption, there is at least a means
to correct it.

The one statement I agree with below is
"throw all the bums out". At local, state, and federal
levels.
For govt to work, you need people who actually believe in
govt - and todays neocons most certainly do not. 

Again - the
bottom line is you are going to pay taxes one way or the other, so you may
as well choose a system that gives you the most for the least and that you
as a citizen and voter have some control over.

Dave

And now - back to our regularly scheduled programming. 
Hey! is
that Brittany Spears over there!!



> Actually,
you might have to mortgage your soul for that rectal exam. I'm
>
shocked to learn how much it costs to register a car in other states.
Here
> in Idaho, I pay $67 for a two year tag. Plus, the plates
themselves are
> owned by us which means that they transfer from
car to car for a very
> minimal fee. Also, we don't have state
inspections and no smog tests.
> 
> 
>>From:
"Ed Kellock" <ekellock at gmail.com>
>>To:
<v8 at audifans.com>
>>Subject: Re: [V8] Yesterday's
experience:  Almost NAC....
>>Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 23:41:47
-0600
>>
>>I have heard that the recent bleeding
heart that was transplanted into
>> the
>>governor's
seat here in CO has pledged to triple vehicle registration
>>
fees
>>to pay for something or other, probably unrelated to
anything related to
>>transportation.  If this is true and if
it becomes a reality, I expect to
>> a
>>free rectal
exam some time in the near future, courtesy of the state of
>>
CO.
>>
>>Ed
>>1993 V8q
>>1991
V8q 5spd
>>1990 V8q
>>1991 200q Avant
>>1987 Coupte GT
>>1985 urq
>>and a couple
other heinous hydrocarbon fuel burning anathemas
>>
>>
>> > -----Original Message-----
>>
>
From: v8-bounces at audifans.com
>> >
[mailto:v8-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of Ingo Rautenberg
>> > Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 5:39 PM
>> >
To: kneale at coslink.com
>> > Cc: v8 at audifans.com;
rmwoodbury at adelphia.net
>> > Subject: Re: [V8] Yesterday's
experience: Almost NAC....
>> >
>> >
>> > Even worse is the proposed raising of the State of
Michigan
>> > registration fees by another 50% to help
defray the costs to
>> > maintain
>> > our
roads (and that doesn't include the gas tax hike).  My '93 would
>> > be over $300/yr, my '91 over $270/yr, my Urq over
$250/yr....
>> >
>> > I say throw all the bums
out!!!!
>> >
>> > Ingo (who may be forced to
sell off a few audis)
>> >
>> > On Apr 3,
2007, at 9:52 AM, kneale at coslink.com wrote:
>> >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
the
>> > > difference in insurance premiums and taxes
would make the V8 even
>> > > more of a
>>
> > bargain.
>> > >
>> > > Unless
you're in a state like MI, where the annual license plate
>>
> > fee is
>> > > based on the original price of
the vehicle.  Licenses for
>> > our 2 V8s
>> >
> are
>> > > $182 each.  The 200q20vs cost $167
each.
>> > >