Support4Change Blog

March 10, 2008

Categories: Q-and-A Club: Exploring Social and Political Issues

By Arlene Harder, MFT

TAX-AND-SPEND GAME CATEGORY SIX

• To understand what this topic is all about, read:

How Will the Election Change Our Taxes?

Rules of the Tax-and-Spend Game

• You can see the same questions I raise today if you go to Funding Infrastructure in the Q-and-A Club section of the Support4Change website. There you will also be able to access all eleven categories of the game that I post on this blog every-other-day.

• Play the Tax-and-Spend Game and enter a drawing. See form below.

• Share the Tax-and-Spend Game with your family and friends so they can better decide what programs they want the government to fund and what programs they are willing to do without if they don’t want to their taxes raised.

How do you want your taxes to be spent in order to fund infrastructure projects?

“Darn potholes!” we complain when once again our tire bangs into a deep hole hidden by puddles from a recent rain. That’s the least of our troubles on many of our roads. Just come to Southern California and I’ll show you what real traffic is like. True, it’s not half as bad as you will find in Cairo, where drivers will create four lanes out of two or three, but it’s still enough to contribute to global warming as cars idle and proceed slowly in “rush hour” that can be more easily described as “crawl hour.”

Infrastructure is the backbone of a strong economy. Business works best when trucks are able to deliver their goods on time, when telephone service is uninterrupted, when the lights go on if we turn on the switch, when the water system both delivers water and takes away waste efficiently, when we get to the airport and find enough runways for the planes to take off on time, etc.

Once again, as with other programs mentioned in earlier categories, we may complain when we don’t receive the service we expect, but we aren’t always willing to pay for better infrastructure. Of course, we may notice that the price of gasoline includes a big tax bite, but many other “taxes” on infrastructure are hidden. Rail lines, airport expansions, improved electric grid are not free, even though some private money will pay for much of them. Do you know how your money helps fund infrastructure?

If you are aware of other programs funded by local, state, and/or national taxes that provide infrastructure that a city, state and nation need but are not included in this list, please let me know. Use the Contact Us form.

• Assure effective running of rail lines
  

• Provide adequate public transportation
  
  
• Running of effective postal service
  
  
• Maintenance of water delivery and waste disposal systems
  
  
• Fair management of radio and TV transmission
  
  
• Maintenance of highways and bridges
  
  
• Maintenance of air traffic
  
  
• Maintenance of well-functioning, reliable electric grid
  
  
• Management and expansion of airports to meet commercial and travel needs
  
  
• Assure efficient and reliable telephone service
  
  
• Development of alternative power sources
  

Enter a drawing for “Ask Yourself Questions and Change Your Life” after you have finished this category of the Tax-and-Spend Game

Each week I will give away my latest book, Ask Yourself Questions and Change Your Life. All you have to do is to complete one of the eleven Tax-and-Spend Game categories and fill out this form.

NOTE #1: All fields are required.

NOTE #2: I will not share your name with anyone and I won’t put you on my newsletter list unless you subscribe yourself on the subscription form on Support4Change Newsletter or on the blog’s Welcome page. This is just information I need for this one drawing, but if you don’t give me your correct email address I won’t be able to contact you if you win.

NOTE #3: You can enter as often as you like, but each entry must be for a different Tax-and-Spend Game category

Name:

Email Address:

Verify Email Address:

Name of the tax-and-spend category to which your answer below applies

Education National Security Protection Against Crime Protection Against Injury Physical and Mental Health Infrastructure Economic Stability and Job Growth Housing and Community Development Environmental Protection Cultural and Artistic Enrichment Foreign Aid

What government services and programs you now use are you willing to give up in order to help balance the budget? Why?

May I share your answer on the Support4Change blog or website? I will not give your name or email address.

Yes No

Hope you enjoy the Tax-and-Spend Game and learn something in the process. I’d love to hear what you think about it. Add a comment to this page or use the Contact Us form on Support4Change to send me your comments or ask a question.