I was anticipating a rant from a ‘winger neighbor on Tax Day, so I double checked my standard response to anyone down in here in South Fundistan about taxes:

Romans 13:6-7 [KJV]

For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

It doesn’t convince them, of course, but they have to consult their current preacher to find out why they could ignore it.

I happened to see a New York Times article, Professor Cites Bible in Faulting Tax Policies, in the results and checked to see if it would cover the response from the neighbor, but it definitely didn’t.

Susan Pace Hamill is a professor at the University of Alabama law school focusing on tax law, business law, and ethics. In addition to her law degrees, she has a degree in divinity from Samford University, the same program that produced Albert Mohler of Focus on the Family, so you can assume this is not a place noted for teaching “liberation theology”.

The NYT article was covering her contention that “the state and local policy of thirty-one states grossly violates the moral principles of Judeo-Christian ethics” when it comes to taxes. Essentially she argues that the teachings of the New Testament support progressive income taxes, and a moral duty to assist the less fortunate.

You have to wonder why she isn’t a regular guest at Democratic events, or on media shows …

The funniest thing I have read in a long time was John at Eschaton, but them it relates to my life directly.

John’s Clever Wife also rates a smile, although it cuts close for too many people these days.

The Republicants don’t believe in society or the “General Welfare”. They think the Sermon on the Mount is a Commie plot. They think that the raw greed and selfishness contained in the “objectivism” of Alisa Rosenbaum [Ayn Rand] is the only way anyone should conduct themselves, and miss the point that the creed rejects society.

For example, you have Republicant Florida Congresscritter Cliff Stearns of Ocala who added an amendment to the long delayed bill that will pay the medical bills of those who responded to the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11^th. His amendment requires anyone applying to the fund must have their name compared to the FBI’s Terrorist List. He doesn’t want anyone on the Terrorist List to receive Federal money.

This is someone who is allowed to vote on the laws of the United States and he thinks that those who are having health problems associated with working at Ground Zero [the police officers, firefighters, medical personnel, search & rescue people, and construction workers who risked their lives on the possibility that someone might have survived the fall of the Towers] might be terrorists.

The amendment is insulting and insane on its face, and Congress should be ashamed for allowing it to be included in the legislation. Maybe people thought it was necessary to get the bill passed, but sometimes you have to do the right thing, not the politically expedient thing.

Then there is Republicant State Sen. Bruce Casswell of Michigan who wants to make sure that foster children know their place: Foster children would be allowed to get clothing only from second hand stores.

[Read more →]

Scott Hiaasen of the Miami Herald writes that Effort to privatize Florida prisons raises questions of cost

The state agency that oversees these prisons says they will save taxpayers almost $90 million over the next three years. But state financial analysts say they cannot show with any certainty how much money they save over state-run prisons.

At a Senate hearing in February, legislative analyst Byron Brown said differences in how public and private prisons operate and account for expenses “limit the conclusiveness” of any cost comparisons.

“There’s never apples to apples,” Brown told lawmakers.

While the benefits of prison privatization may be hard to see, the problems have been obvious: Over the years, the arrangement has been marred by mismanagement by state monitors , lax contracts, overbilling by prison contractors, a corruption investigation, and a legal loophole that allowed sexual misconduct in private facilities to go unpunished.

I have never seen any reliable facts that privatization has ever saved any jurisdiction a nickel. Medicare Part D was supposed to save money when it was introduced, and after a decade it is 12% more expensive than regular Medicare. School bus service was more expensive beginning the second year after it was privatized, and it eventually had to revert to county control. [There was also the problem of near 12-hour days for some elementary school kids because the private contractor only used half as many buses and drivers.]

The only really reliable facts available are that the people who will probably get the contracts for the prisons are big Republicant political donors, and the whole thing looks like quid pro quo to me.