Still wondering here, what keeps you my self-appointed morally superior progressives from giving more of your money to the city?

I volunteer off and on and most of us are, white, middle class and from what I can tell apolitical to moderate/conservative. Never met a progressive when pushing a dilapidated Vietnam vet's wheel chair around. The progressives can get out the professional rioters when they want though, likely more fun I guess.

It gets a bit wearing to hear the whines of my betters, they demand more programs and services while demanding more pay for the people who demand these things too, namely public employee unions. Give raises to people who think we should be giving more free shit away. I guess you can have it as many ways as you want?

Also "rich out of town corporations" already pay mountains of taxes to a city with a budget that exceeds many states. Ungrateful hippie.

It's indicative of how far our historical understanding and political discourse have fallen that you want me to defend the notion of progressive taxation, a necessity accepted in all western democracies and by most economists. But let me just note that since Prop. 13, the majority of the tax burden has shifted from corporations to individuals, so it simply isn't true that SF-based companies are somehow overburdened by taxes. Some of the corporations with the highest profit margins in the world are based right here in the Bay Area.

I don't have a problem with progressive taxation, we just need to get something from it. What we would get for raising taxes and spending more would just be more crime as more people would come to SF to live off uncle sucker. More people around Union square who can beg like a progressive city supervisor, more extended family of illegal aliens, more ex-cons out of jail, more quality of life crimes so that you can feel better about yourself.

State and city spending outpaces every economic indicator, this city outspends many states, and you need more? The city has to pay for the good intentions of the over-class progressives somehow right?

As the state and city outspends every indicator, the reason that more of the tax burden is shifted onto us peasants is that the over-class has come up with new ways to tax us so that they can spend more. I find it hilarious that you lecture me on the common knowledge of taxation.

Prop 13 has been around for a long time and your politicians have found ways to keep spending and raising taxes. Your logic is inverse and silly. You pay more, no one is stopping you.

Your revealed Bay Guardian revealed wisdom mixed with a argument ad-numeran is funny.

When the economy kicks back in and tax income for the state and city rises will anyone get a cut, meaning your "individuals?" No, because you and your fellow progressives know how to spend it better than we do, "we" being the individuals.

Little bro, I can guarantee you that I have read more on economics than any Bay Guardian "reporter" hired by Tim Redmond based on agreeing with is ridiculous politics.

Example; my conversation with that Sarah Phelan a few years ago was enough for me, a political opinion waiting for a justification, like talking with a far right winger on abortion.

I remember the Guardian dolts drinking at the Uptown back when it was on Hampshire, used to avoid them like cancer. Boring humorless liberal authoritarians.

You seem to be in the same camp.

And you seem to be just another judgmental conservative, scapegoating immigrants and the poor to justify your own selfishness. Why else would you falsely imply that the money is going to welfare payments, when the budget conflict was actually about saving public health and safety, parks and recreation programs, public transit, building inspection, and other essential government functions? You greedy government-haters basically destroyed the welfare system years ago and now you're on to closing parks, defunding education, and letting the infrastructure fall apart. You let Chevron make an obscene $24 billion in profits last year -- money also coming from consumers/taxpayers -- and instead get all lathered up over a total city budget that's one-quarter of that. I really don't get you people or why you're trying to cripple this city and state.

With Al Franklin being sworn the oath of office, which for a majority in either party the oath means absolutely nothing? Be assured the Democratic Libertarian leadership has a perfect storm and with a 60 member majority the other side cannot filibuster any new laws to being enacted. My major concern is an illegal immigrant the--OVERPOPULATION--invasion. Unless--THE AMERICAN PEOPLE--don't exert pressure on their Senators, Representatives, they are--SURE--to pass another AMNESTY. With no restraints it means 13 to 20 million plus, foreign workers and their large families will get a path to citizenship, even though they broke our laws. In stark addition to this, millions more will appear in America after sweeping across our border, after being advised that AMNESTY is going to be enacted.

OVERPOPULATION--will over the next 40 years propel the amount of people, living, working here to around 430 million? That's federal government statistics? Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi brought upon Americans a behemoth of a problem by trying to stall, kill or underfund E-Verify

Our country is already being swamped by foreign nations who cannot speak or write English and unable to comprehend road warning signs. Amongst the impoverished, the sick and others carry contagious diseases, comes the gang members, rapists, murders and other criminal elements. Those caught have already compromised our overcrowded penal system. Each day there is carnage on the highways to American family members. The Heritage foundation has already stated that the costs could reach $2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS, just in retirement benefits. I don't think their are any words to describe the financial impact on taxpayers, as these poor, unschooled and large extended families cannot find work, in a near 11.0 percent jobless rate for AMERICANS. There is huge unknown financial amount of money to support the illegal worker, followed by a wife and then--CHAIN MIGRATION--of sisters, brothers who are sure to come?

There is a danger to our economy so unbelievable, it cannot be emphasized enough--THAT THE PUBLIC MUST PRESSURE THEIR RELUCTANT PUBLIC SERVANTS IN WASHINGTON--NOT TO ALLOW ANY KIND OF AMNESTY? The full weight of this massive expenditure will fall on the U.S. TAXPAYER--NOT THE PARASITE EMPLOYER WHO DOES THE HIRING? A prime example at this time is payments of illegal alien households around the country. Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation calculated the average low-skilled immigrant household received $30,160 in direct benefits, education, medical care and other services from all levels of government in 2004. Those same low-skilled immigrant households paid only $10,573 in taxes that year, meaning the average low-skill household had a fiscal deficit of $19,588.

The ultimate question is can Americans afford to support all these low income nationals, while the nations economy is stagnant? With millions of the US population searching for a job, with a slender possibility of passing Universal health care? We must have a uniform immigration enforcement program, that our politicians have cowardly moved away from, except for a brave few.

We need immediate transformation of E-Verification to a permanent, none voluntary for--ALL--workers, within the United States. Whether you have five employees or 50.000 everybody must be verified as legal. IT SHOULD START WITH EVERY GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR WITHOUT ANY EXCEPTION? THEN EVERY US FEDERAL WORKER SHOULD BE VETTED, OR HAVE THE US GOVERNMENT GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE? BEING THAT FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH, IMPLEMENTED THE PILOT PROGRAM, THE GOVERNMENT MUST SET AN EXAMPLE INSTEAD OF ALL THE DELAYS?

There's that disappearing guy in the Stalin photo again.

Thanks Steven for speaking out on fair and progressive taxation. The working class and poor are hit hardest by this continuing stream of regressive taxes while the rich get Prop 13 and tax breaks. It astonishes me to see so many so-called progressives continuing to push for more sales taxes, "sin" taxes, "fees" and the like while ignoring gross receipts and other progressive taxation. Not to mention the recent Muni fare increases. WTF?