tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post3187133456246521242..comments2023-09-11T08:58:24.710-06:00Comments on Reach Upward: Utahns Yawn as State Spending IncreasesScott Hinrichshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831447472339880148noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-22622994006892943212008-01-17T16:40:00.000-07:002008-01-17T16:40:00.000-07:00Try going to http://www.utahtaxpayers.org/. It's ...Try going to <A HREF="http://www.utahtaxpayers.org/annual_reports/State%20Spending%20Growth%20Accelerates%20in%20Recent%20Years%20_3_.pdf" REL="nofollow">http://www.utahtaxpayers.org/</A>. It's a good place to start.Scott Hinrichshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11831447472339880148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-6425951383084312832008-01-16T16:45:00.000-07:002008-01-16T16:45:00.000-07:00So what exactly has the increase been spent on? A...So what exactly has the increase been spent on? All I keep hearing is that we don't have the infrastructure for all the schools and roads we need now, not to mention what we're going to need in the near future. Utah's income tax does seem high when compared to other states I've lived in. So what is it going towards? (Aside from soccer stadiums)Cameronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06016275707476655364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-16543077434940330782008-01-15T16:29:00.000-07:002008-01-15T16:29:00.000-07:00Who said anything about privatizing all roadways a...Who said anything about privatizing all roadways and schools? State government certainly has a role to play in these areas. Private industry should have a role to play as well. But transportation infrastructure and education aren’t the only areas where state spending is outstripping income growth. (Ror example, most of our legislators thought it was important to dump taxpayer dollars into an entertainment venue last session.) Is it such a foreign thought that government growth should be more limited than it is at present? Is it impossible for state government to accomplish the necessary portions of its mission without going wild on spending?Scott Hinrichshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11831447472339880148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-63202054861803938442008-01-14T19:23:00.000-07:002008-01-14T19:23:00.000-07:00How do you then propose schools and roads be paid ...How do you then propose schools and roads be paid for? All toll roads? All private schools? Those are effectively massive taxes on the poor, they put the heaviest burden as a percentage of income onto those who have the least. That in turn increases income gaps and makes it harder and harder for the poor to improve their lives through their own hard work. I hear a theoretical argument from you about why government spending on schools and roads is bad, I don't hear any practical solution that delivers a better path to provide badly needed public goods.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-65605605031492027552008-01-14T11:18:00.000-07:002008-01-14T11:18:00.000-07:00You can quibble about the CPI, but the fact remain...You can quibble about the CPI, but the fact remains that real state spending is outstripping real income growth. That is not a sustainable pattern, as Californians discovered a few years ago.<BR/><BR/>I never argued that private businesses achieve maximum efficiency. But when businesses perform a service, consumers have the choice of whether to purchase the service or not. No such freedom exists in government services. And when government faces actual competition, it works to suppress it so that choice is unavailable. Businesses try this as well, but they are rarely successful at maintaining an effective monopoly for any length of time.<BR/><BR/>Jesse is correct that certain future expenditures can be reduced by wisely targeting large expenditures when revenue is available. However, this same argument can almost always be made for just about any type of government 'investment.' Where do you draw the line? That's the hard question legislators face.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, it seems that all too often, once your tax dollars are in the state's coffers, the state will opt to spend them rather than return the overpayment. There are always so many "needs" that must be covered. Never mind your family's "needs."Scott Hinrichshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11831447472339880148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-4392395818729620362008-01-14T09:29:00.000-07:002008-01-14T09:29:00.000-07:00The central question on one-time expenditures is i...The central question on one-time expenditures is if they save us money in the long run or not. If we avoid a 20-year bond at 6% by ponying up for a new highway now, it seems like a solid investment to me since we would pay almost 320% of the original amount in interest over the life of the bond. If we were going to buy the road in a few years anyway, it seems like a good deal to buy it with cash now (even with a few extra years of maintenance) rather than with credit later.Jesse Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468928702710912142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-41347387950959208292008-01-13T22:17:00.000-07:002008-01-13T22:17:00.000-07:00This is beyond jaded, this is the definitive state...This is beyond jaded, this is the definitive statement of why Utah schools are so screwed up. The fact that there are inefficiences in schools and highway contracting means that severely underfunded schools and roads should be neglected further? Good gravy man!<BR/><BR/>Oh, and by the way, the CPI is a screwed up measure that massively under-estimates inflation. They downgrade goods in the basket when prices go up. If the price of steak goes up, they put in ground beef instead. So in real terms accounting for real inflation and population growth I doubt if things are quite so out of control as you suggest.<BR/><BR/>Even if more real dollars are going to government, the question should not be if that is intrinsically a good or bad. The question should be is it the best use of those dollars. Simply stating a platitude about government being inefficient doesn't answer that questions.<BR/><BR/>I've spent enough time in enough corporations to know plenty of them are just as inefficient. But some of those companies still do things better than government. Likewise even with all its inefficiences, government does some things better than the private sector could ever hope to.<BR/><BR/>Like mass education. Look to the Congo or Pakistan or Egypt or some other country where public schooling is really failing and private schools are the only option for a decent education. Pretty safe to say you wouldn't want to put the future of the kids of the United States or any country into that situation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com