Tag Archives: economy

Homeslessness in Utah.

Yesterday, 125 cities across the nation held candlelight vigils to honor those who have died while homeless. In Utah there were 42 homeless people who died in 2005. Most suffered from chronic illnesses, according to the artilce, such as AIDS, diabetes, alcholosim, etc. Most causes of death were from complications of those illnesses and not exposure.
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Hammer to Head: “Here’s some sense for christmas”

It seems that’s what’s happened with our Utah senators.

Last week I wrote about Utah’s Represenatives voting for a $230 million tax cut.

Today’s Salt Lake Tribune has reported that our state senators are carefully examining the proposed tax cut, stating that they are listening to their consituents who are angry over such a cut.

It’s about time.
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Utah Republicans propose $230 million tax cut

At a time when infrastructure is jeopardized, citizens are facing a 30% increase in heating costs, Many Utahns are without health care, and educational systems are floundering, Utah Rebpublican legislators have proposed a $230 milliontax cut. This amount is four times more than Governor Huntsmans recommended cut (already an impractical measure, in my opinion).

The people who will see the “benefits” of this cut, if it passes, are not the working people. Further, if this cut passes and the following year sees a big tax increase, it will not be the wealthy that feels that increase. It will be the people who were never benefited from the tax cut of the year before.

It’s a lose-lose situation. Our budget should be taking surplus funds and funds that would be given back in the form of tax cuts and allocating them to much needed services that would benefit everyone.

Utah’s Budget Surplus

It’s all over the Utah news today:
‘More Santa than Scrooge’: Huntsman’s budget buoyed by surpluses, growth
More Santa than Scrooge: Record budget, $60M tax cut

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. on Friday laid out a nearly $10 billion blueprint for state spending that includes record high funding for education and highways – yet manages to include a $60 million tax cut.
In short, the state is wallowing in money.

The articles state that the increases in budgets will go to increased salaries of teachers and other state employees and for roads and buildings, student growth and Medicaid – all worthy causes.

But if there is so much money as to afford a tax cut ( for rich people – they get more money as things become more scarce) why can’t that surplus instead be allocated to much needed services such as heat assistance and other necesseties for the poor and low income?