Friday, September 5, 2014

ARE YOU FOLKS READING...???



Seriously... I'm curious!

Some good stuff in the comments sections of the newsbites posts!

Anyway... here's another stand-alone... but I do hope you folks keep on scrolling down and checking the comments section of today's newsbites post!

Oh... and by the way... a little feedback once in awhile wouldn't hurt!

(*SHEESH*)

* * * * * * * *

Taxpayers in Alaska who enjoy keeping their money will be happy to see a new report that claims the country’s 49th state is best able to fund its obligations.

(*THUMBS UP*)

* AND LIBERALS AND RINOs DISDAIN SARAH PALIN...

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

Residents of Connecticut may not feel as good.

* BLUE STATE!

The Truth in Accounting report ranks the states by “taxpayer burden,” a measure that represents the amount each taxpayer would have to pay his or her state’s treasury to fill its financial hole.

Truth in Accounting, a Chicago-based nonprofit, determined that the states with the highest taxpayer burden — deemed “Sinkhole States” — are, in descending order, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Hawaii.

* BLUE... BLUE... PURPLE... BLUE... BLUE... (NEW YORK RANKS 6TH WITH REGARD TO HIGHEST TAXPAYER BURDEN BY THE WAY...)

(*SNORT*) (*CLAP...CLAP...CLAP*)

The states with the largest “taxpayer surplus” — called “Sunshine States” based on having assets available to pay their bills — are, from the top:  Alaska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and South Dakota.

(*SMILE*)

Taxpayer burden is calculated by determining each taxpayer’s share of state debt after setting aside capital-related debt and assets. 

* WHICH IS A SKEW TO THE REAL NUMBERS...

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

Remaining debt is primarily unpaid pension and retirement health promises.

* PROMISES, PROMISES, PROMISES...

In its fifth annual report, released this month, Truth in Accounting says states that have unfunded pension liabilities put a burden on future taxpayers, even though “they will not receive any services” from the retired employees who earn those pensions.

* DUH!

States with taxpayer surplus, on the other hand, fund pension costs during the year employees earn the benefits, and the money is set aside for that year.

* DEFINED BENEFIT PLANS SHOULD BE OUTLAWED... FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THERE ARE NO TRUE "GUARANTEES" IN LIFE!

* DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLANS - WHERE THE EMPLOYEE DECIDES HOW TO INVEST HIS OR HER RETIREMENT FUND CONTRIBUTIONS (AND EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS IF ANY) - IS THE ONLY RESPONSIBLE AND FAIR WAY TO GO!

Connecticut, which the report considers to be in the worst financial shape, has an overall budget shortfall of $61.4 billion, which breaks down to $48,100 per taxpayer.

Truth in Accounting reports that most of Connecticut’s retirement benefits have been promised but not funded.

* AND YET NO ONE GOES TO JAIL. (TRY THIS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR!)

A Connecticut law requires the legislature to pass a balanced budget. This likely explains why the state chose not to report its entire retirement benefit liability. The report says: One of the reasons Connecticut is in this precarious financial position is state officials use antiquated budgeting and accounting rules to report Connecticut’s financial condition. Since employee retirement benefits are not immediately payable in cash, the related compensation costs have been ignored when calculating balanced budgets.

* GEEZUS...

* JUST... GEEZUS...

Alaska, reported to be in the best financial shape, has an overall budget surplus of $13.5 billion, which breaks down to $46,900 per taxpayer. The report says Alaska has enough money to pay state employees’ retirement benefits and other outstanding bills.

Alaska is in good financial shape because the legislators and governors have only promised citizens and employees what they can afford to deliver.

* AND AGAIN... LIBERALS AND RINOs... AND MY BUDDY "HE WHOSE NAME DARE NOT BE MENTIONED"... HAVE NOTHING BUT CONTEMPT FOR SARAH PALIN... BUT (SPEAKING FOR "HE") USED TO HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR THE LIKES OF JOHN MCCAIN, WARREN BUFFETT, AND BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA.

(*SIGH*)

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