Vermonter.com

Now that the holidays are over the next big thing coming up is tax time. Yup, it’s that ever so thrilling time of year when almost everyone has to dig out the receipts, sharpen the pencils and try to hold onto as much of their hard earned money as possible. Bend over and grab your ankles!

If you’re lucky enough to live in Vermont you’re gonna pay more, that’s for sure.  As economist Art Woolf explains, “I think it will bring attention to the fact that Vermont is a high-tax state,” says Woolf. “Any study that’s trying to rank states is going to have some kind of bias. You can’t put every factor in every kind of study. This study focuses on things that doesn’t make Vermont look too good. A lot of them are taxes. There are some liabilities in Vermont and this study points out what some of those are.”

I’m still scratching my head over all the nuttiness taking place throughout the Green Mountain State. On one hand, Vermont is bringing in all sorts of refugees from other countries (the latest being Iraq) and footing the bill. Yet, on the news the other night, there was a report that the amount of homeless in the Burlington area has doubled over the last few years and now includes entire families instead of just single men. The elderly cannot afford groceries, medical care and heating bills. Many roads and bridges throughout Vermont are  in drastic need of repair, drug crimes are on the increase and the list goes on. Seriously though, shouldn’t we clean up our own problems first before trying to save the world?
Meanwhile, illegal immigrants are working throughout Vermont and some of them are earning big bucks, tax free. I know of someone who is here illegally and pulling back $70,000 per year. This person has never entered H&R Block but knows the University Mall quite well. Best of all, it is YOUR tax dollars supporting people like this. Happy New Year indeed.

To top it all off, the American dollar has tanked to the lowest level in years and we’re a muskrat’s hair away from a recession. Not sure if that’s due to all the money being wasted for the war in Iraq or the housing crisis which basically allowed unscrupulous lenders to give loans to people they knew could never afford to pay it back. Anyway, it’s time to warm up the tar and feathers and make someone accountable other than the taxpayers.

Ok, so now you’re probably thinking “this is a pretty negative post”.

Yeah, I guess it is. Happy Valentine’s Day!