best value received for your tax dollars. (not your typical political discussion)

darthtang aw

darthtang aw

Active Member
Ok. Here is what I am wondering. What tax funded service do you feel has shown a valuable return.
Basically, what do you personally feel gives you the best return or service for your taxesl
Roads? Post office? Ect. Not what you think or feel. But personal experience. Everyone has dealt with the post office. Is the service provided adequate for you to be happy that your taxes contribute to it.
Is there a politician you feel is worth their salary, pension, and so on to continue drawing from your taxes.
Basically I am saying....if you had a choice. What services do you feel your taxes are worth going to as the return out of them is of equal or greater value. State, national, city, county....all level.
Please do not harp at others for their own personal experiences with the tax provided services or leaders. I am honestly curious.
Through this list I hope to glean something.
 
ironeagle2006

ironeagle2006

Active Member
Retired State Senator Gary Dahl here in IL why do I say worth every penny. 3 reasons
1st He Donated Every penny he was supposed to get to paid to CHARITY and lived on his own money he used to own a Trucking company that he sold to his Employuees when he took out a Democrat that was later given a Cushy State job by Blago.
2nd he refused to take any Pension from the state for being a Senator he was like I serve at the Peoples Behest the can replace me at their choice.
3rd when most of the State Reps and Senators are racking up massive Hotel Bills when the State Assembly was in Session what did Gary dahl do he stated in his RV on a loacl Campground for 10 bucks a night. The rest of the house is spending 200 a night he was spending 10 a night no wonder he won his last election for Senator by 70 points. He was forced to retire suddenly when he was told he had less than a year to live and could not serve out his term so he retired from office.
 
mantisman51

mantisman51

Active Member
Border Patrol-since tripling their numbers here in Cochise County, the home invasions at gunpoint have trickled to few and far between. That was the scariest part of the smugglers that the media ignored. After dropping their drugs, they would break into a house and rob (and sometimes) rape the residents before crossing back over the border. Now they are in such a hurry to drop and run before the BP shows up that they have almost entirely quit the practice. It still happens, but there's not 3-5 a week like there was. Now maybe 3-5 times a month.
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Interstate highways, national and state parks, road improvements (fixing pot holes, widening roads to more lanes), police and fire protection, education at both high school and college levels.
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
Pfffft. Bionic thinks education is a good deal for the money???
I'd say the local cops and fire department are doing a good job. My congressional Rep just proposed a bill that would change the requirement for ballots to be printed in Spanish. + a Million to him for that. State reps are both a POS.
Interstates, National Parks I'd agree with.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Miltary was my top pick. But there are a few others up there. Highways would be a big one.
Oh yea, FEMA......
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
HighwayRoad improvements would probably be my top vote. Traffic here on LI can be hellish.
Also, National and State parks. I've been to quite a few national parks including Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion, Rocky Mountain and Joshua Tree. Anyone who has been to these would have to agree on their importance. We also have a State Park up in Watkins Glenn, NY that is a little slice of heaven.
http://nyfalls.com/watkinsglensp.html
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darthtang AW http:///t/387622/best-value-received-for-your-tax-dollars-not-your-typical-political-discussion#post_3412230
No one else?
Military?
just one elected leader?
none on the current national level?
no social programs?
My city councilman does a great job.
Social Programs? Battered Women's Shelter, Planned Parenthood, Job Placment and Educational assistance for the unemployed.
In reality, there's never been an elected leader national, state, or local I would consider "worth my tax dollars". Most elected officials are in it for themseleves, looking for the big "Pay Day" of making the national scene. There they just push the same old agendas, claiming they assist their constituents, then leave office with a lifetime retirement package at taxpayers expense. The only people who admire politicians are the politicians themselves and their respective families.
Military? Guess it depends on whether youi think their efforts are worth more than $1trillion over the last 10 years.
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///t/387622/best-value-received-for-your-tax-dollars-not-your-typical-political-discussion#post_3412223
Pfffft. Bionic thinks education is a good deal for the money???
I'd say the local cops and fire department are doing a good job. My congressional Rep just proposed a bill that would change the requirement for ballots to be printed in Spanish. + a Million to him for that. State reps are both a POS.
Interstates, National Parks I'd agree with.
I pay approximately $7,000 annualy in property taxes towards my local school district and Community colleges. I have one high school daughter that is getting her primary education from one of the best school districts in the state. If I put her in the local private schools for that education, I'd spend $15K - $20K minimum each year. My older daughter is attending one of the local Community Colleges to obtain her Freshman/Sophomore core courses. I pay right at $1,500 for 15 credit hours each semester for those courses. If I sent her to a private college, those same classes would cost me $5,000 - $7,000 per semester. So you tell me, and I getting value for my money for those educational opportunities?
 
slice

slice

Active Member
Every year at Christmas, I hand a card with $20 inside to the guy who picks up my trash each week. I tell him that he is the most important government official/employee to my household.
He doesn't interfere with any of my daily dealings, he only provides a service I can appreciate, and without him, my home life would be drastically inconvenienced.
I can't say the same for any other government function.
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice http:///t/387622/best-value-received-for-your-tax-dollars-not-your-typical-political-discussion#post_3412277
Every year at Christmas, I hand a card with $20 inside to the guy who picks up my trash each week. I tell him that he is the most important government official/employee to my household.
He doesn't interfere with any of my daily dealings, he only provides a service I can appreciate, and without him, my home life would be drastically inconvenienced.
I can't say the same for any other government function.
around here the trash collectors make 6 figure salaries. Probably more than 90 percent of the people whose trash they collect.
 
mantisman51

mantisman51

Active Member
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/31/nasa-top-climate-scientist-arrested/
I vote for this guy. $180k a year to doctor data and get arrested. Nope, no global hoax scientists are activists with an agenda.
p.s. Just a tongue-in-cheek jab at wasted federal money.
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by bionicarm http:///t/387622/best-value-received-for-your-tax-dollars-not-your-typical-political-discussion#post_3412254
I pay approximately $7,000 annualy in property taxes towards my local school district and Community colleges. I have one high school daughter that is getting her primary education from one of the best school districts in the state. If I put her in the local private schools for that education, I'd spend $15K - $20K minimum each year. My older daughter is attending one of the local Community Colleges to obtain her Freshman/Sophomore core courses. I pay right at $1,500 for 15 credit hours each semester for those courses. If I sent her to a private college, those same classes would cost me $5,000 - $7,000 per semester. So you tell me, and I getting value for my money for those educational opportunities?
The US spends the most of any country on education and we rank 14th in reading, 17th in math and 27th in science. What a good deal for the money......
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///t/387622/best-value-received-for-your-tax-dollars-not-your-typical-political-discussion#post_3412297
The US spends the most of any country on education and we rank 14th in reading, 17th in math and 27th in science. What a good deal for the money......
80% of the reason for those low numbers is due to parents not being involved with the educational process. The teachers can only provide so much assistance and guidance, especially when the government mandates they teach some useless state test, as oppossed to actual viable curriculum. If you want to blame someone, blame Dubya with his No Child Left Behind edict for the downfall of our educational system.
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by bionicarm http:///t/387622/best-value-received-for-your-tax-dollars-not-your-typical-political-discussion#post_3412307
80% of the reason for those low numbers is due to parents not being involved with the educational process. The teachers can only provide so much assistance and guidance, especially when the government mandates they teach some useless state test, as oppossed to actual viable curriculum. If you want to blame someone, blame Dubya with his No Child Left Behind edict for the downfall of our educational system.
LOL! so now you admit that the education system isn't such a great value.... By the way, Dubya had PLENTY of help from BOTH sides of the isle when he did NCLB.
 
bionicarm

bionicarm

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///t/387622/best-value-received-for-your-tax-dollars-not-your-typical-political-discussion#post_3412312
LOL! so now you admit that the education system isn't such a great value.... By the way, Dubya had PLENTY of help from BOTH sides of the isle when he did NCLB.
It's a value for me, because I stay involved with my daughter's education. I don't limit them to just what information they obtain while attending our public educational systems. The K-12 public systems have several limitations set upon them due to government regulations. That's why some parents decide to put their kids into private institutions. Some even have resorted to home schooling. But overall, my daughter's have acquired the basics, and then some, to afford them the opportunity to continue their education at the collegiate level.
As far as my local Community Colleges? The English Comp, College Algebra, Biology, Sociology, Government, Economics, etc. courses they offer are the same one's they teach at the Univ. of Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, LSU, or Notre Dame. My daughter can transfer any and all of her credits she receives over to one of these Tier 1 institutions. She plans on going to one of those her Junior/Senior year. She got accepted to SMU, Baylor, and UT, but decided to stay home and get her basics at the Community College. The financial incentive I offered her was too good to pass up. I've told both my daughters that for every year they conserve and save money on tution, fees, room and board, etc.by staying home and going to the Comm. College instead of a Tier-1 college, I would take the money I saved to send them there, and invest it in CD's, mutual funds, stocks, and whatever other investments I can find. Once they graduate, I'll hand them the money, and let them do whatever they choose with it - wedding, travel, continued education, car, house, etc. My oldest already has over $15K in her account. If she decides to finish her degree at UTSA (local Univ. of Texas 4-year Tier 1 college),, she'll prbably have another $20K in her account by the time she graduates.
 
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