Which is exactly why I’m looking at finding residence in Tennessee.

The city of Sacramento will ask voters to agree to pay local taxes on new technology such as text messaging and phone service offered over the Internet in exchange for lowering taxes for land-line phones and other utilities.

On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously voted to put a measure on the Nov. 4 ballot that would decrease the utility users tax from 7.5 percent to 7 percent. It would require a simple majority to pass.

Two main factors are driving the action: First, the city’s ability to collect taxes on cell phones and other communications methods is facing legal challenges. Second, taxes on old technology, such as regular telephones, are generating less revenue.

The City Council could use a few lessons in business management and proper use of finances. If a business experiences lower revenues, it has to make spending adjustments accordingly. Apparently, the government is not capable of such actions.

After reading through the comments, I’m confident I’m not alone with this frame of mind.

This is specifically tailored for Nevada, but relevant in any state.

• Any future tax increases which appear on a ballot must be approved by a 2/3 super-majority vote of the people.
• Any future budget increases which exceed the combined rate of population growth plus inflation would have to be approved by a 2/3 super-majority vote of the Legislature.
• Any new spending programs must be offset by reductions or eliminations in “old” spending.
• Zero-based budgeting is hereby imposed. Department heads start with nothing each biennium rather than starting with the last biennium’s budget and adding to it. Every dime must be justified every two years.
• The governor is granted line-item veto power.
• A public website showing each and every expenditure by the state government must be created and maintained by the office of the State Controller.
• The minimum wage law is hereby repealed.
• The prevailing wage law is hereby repealed.
• All collective bargaining agreements for government workers which result in a net increase in the cost to taxpayers must be approved by a vote of the people.
• The government will no longer collect union dues via payroll deductions. Labor unions must collect dues from their members themselves, just like the Rotary Club and Boy Scouts.
• No union dues money may be used for political purposes without the worker’s expressed, written consent.
• All public sector unions must publicly file an annual financial report showing where all its money came from and where it all went.
• All collective bargaining sessions involving public sector unions must be done in public.
• All collective bargaining contracts must be posted on a public website at the union’s expense.
• Public employees are banned from serving in the Legislature.
• Teacher unions are banned permanently. True professional educator organizations with no political agenda or hostility to school choice would still be allowed.
• All parents will be offered school vouchers to send their kids to the private school of their choice.
• Children who are chronic disciplinary problems in the classroom are to be kicked out of school and enlisted in the Marines…but not until they turn at least nine.
• The Nevada Board of Education moratorium on new charter schools is hereby lifted.
• Nevada charter schools will be given their own separate school district.
• The State Board of Education is to be disbanded and all current members released into the Nevada wilderness with nothing more than a hunting knife, a pack of Chicklets and one canteen of water.
• The Department of Education will be transferred over to the Executive branch of government and the Superintendent will be appointed by the Governor.
• Nevada immediately withdraws from participation in the No Child Left Behind program.
• Illegal aliens in our prisons are to be deported immediately, and subject to summary execution if they’re caught returning illegally. (OK, I might be a little flexible on that last part)
• All taxpayer-funded government documents, especially ballots, will be printed in English only.
• No taxpayer-funded welfare benefits for illegal aliens.
• An individual’s property will not be reassessed for tax purposes until sold or ownership is otherwise transferred.
• Any entity enjoying a no-bid contract from the government is banned from making political contributions.

Maggie Thurber has discovered an amazing abuse of tax dollars in the City of Toledo. Apparently,Toledo is gearing up to spend a whopping $600,000 to open several pool locations.

As Maggie points out, the City is taking the nanny state approach by deciding the costs are not relevant when it comes to providing comfort for citizens.

Kattie Bond, director of Toledo’s department of neighborhoods, said the benefit of operating city pools outweighs the cost.

“It is important to provide recreational opportunities for citizens,” Ms. Bond said. “We live in a city where we do get hot weather, so it’s important we provide a place for kids to at least get wet and cool off.”

Maggie also tosses in some pretty convincing numbers that lead to the conclusion this $600,000 project will only serve less than 2% of the population.

Last year, the pools served 25,151 entrants. The city did not keep track of how many of those ‘entrants’ were the same individual. They also charged $1 for entry.

In 2007, there were six pools open (one was a splash pad) compared to the 12 facilities opened in 2006. Despite the increased attendance at two of the pools, overall attendance at the six facilities declined 18.5% from 30,841 to 25,151. This clearly indicates that individuals who had access to a pool in 2006 did not travel to other locations in 2007 in order to “get wet and cool off.” (I just can’t imagine how they survived!)

As these numbers are visits and not visitors, it’s hard to estimate just how important this cost is to the general public. For sake of argument, let’s estimate that individuals likely to use the pool facilities will do so five times during the season. This seems a reasonable estimate considering the number of days the pools are open.

Using this assumption, the pools had about 5,000 unique visitors. The 2006 Census data shows that there are 74,896 children (under 18 years of age) in Toledo. Even if every visitor to the pools was a child, we would be serving less than 7% of the kids in the city. If we consider total population, those estimated 5,000 unique visitors represent less than 2% of the population.

Lovely, isn’t it?

Cross posted at The Oink Report and Conservablogs.com

You see, I don’t just write posts, I maintain and manage a plethora of blogs, group blogs, and blogging communities. Lately I’ve been spending any and all extra time cleaning up other blogging projects and preparing them for a long term plan. The following is a list of some of the blogs I am intimately involved in.

The Oink Report – The Oink Report is a blog that documents government waste, pork barrel spending, and political corruption via earmarks. I’m joined by Rob Port at SayAnythingBlog.com, and I look forward to seeing this blog reach its full potential.

Telecommies – A Net Regulation blog aimed at exposing the truth about net neutrality.

Left Watch – This is a blog that I am only just starting to chew into. It’s main purpose is to follow the left wing money machine and provide details about where the money comes from and what it is used for.

BlockersRus.com – Blockers “R” Us is a new blog set up to follow the people who work to limit free speech by actively blocking citizen petition efforts.

ConservaBlogs.com – CB is a community of more than 20 bloggers who are hosted on the site and crank out an enormous amount of original content. The site currently enjoys more than 4,000 visits per day and is continuing to grow.

And, of course, I blog here, The Developers Blog, and Blogivists HQ.

Needless to say, it’s a handful keeping up with it all. But I love every minute of it.

Yes… I’m addicted to blogging.