Driving around town Friday afternoon and Saturday morning JT noticed a lot of traffic. His first thought there was going to be a huge crowd for homecoming. Then he realized it was not football they were interested in…but breaking the chains of COVID and spending some of that relief money the government sent their way. JT stayed at home and watched the NSU-McNeese game on Fox Sports and from the camera pans of the crowd…his thoughts were confirmed.
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JT has to wonder where do we draw the line in what the taxpayer should be expected to pay. An example, JT heard…and then let it sink in for a few days…that the public school system provides transportation home for those involved in after-school activities. And apparently it doesn’t matter if it’s after school detention, study hall or athletics. Apparently, there are two buses covering the parish for this service. JT sure hopes this program is paid for by some grant and that his property taxes aren’t funding this.
JT remembers the days after practice kids had to find their own way home. It could be a few blocks from school, a ride with another player or even the coach would get you home. Wouldn’t it be nice if taxpayers had a say-so in how their taxes were spent? JT for one would say….hey school board…give 50 percent of my tax dollars to academics, 25 percent to the arts and the rest to teachers. Unfortunately, the only option is to either vote for their taxes or against them.
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One of the major bills coming up this session is the creation of a statewide sales tax collection agency. It’s a convenience bill for large businesses that operate in multiple parishes across the state. Instead of submitting sales tax reports to each parish, they would only have to submit one to the state. Since nearly every parish has their own collection agency, they are not real happy about the proposal.
Legislators, especially those in the House of Representatives, are caught between a rock and a hard spot. That’s because the bill calling for consolidation is coming from the Speaker of the House. The Speaker of the House makes committee assignments ands is pretty much “your best friend” when you need favors for your district. To go against him doesn’t always end up well. JT looks for a lot of deals to be made by legislators in exchange for a vote with the Speaker. That way they can save face when they return home to say…Yea, I voted for it …BUT, I got this in return.
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T just has to go there…..President Biden fell up the steps of Air Force 1…not once, but three times. If that had been former President Trump the national media would have been all over it. Since it is Biden….crickets. Although the national media clammed up, the memes are abundant. JT got a good chuckle from one that had inserted Mario, in his cart, throwing out banana peels on the steps.