Ace of Spades HQ

February 28, 2012

We Are Being Looted
— LauraW

Pillaged. Turned upside down and shook out.
State and federal treasuries are nothing but corncribs full of rats, divvying up the proceeds of your work to their friends, and they despise you for it.

The State of Connecticut has this thing called an Underground Storage Tank fund**, which is meant to insure for environmental remediation claims for Connecticut gas stations, in the case of spills.

EPA no longer will recognize the fundÂ’s ability to guarantee cleanups, and ConnecticutÂ’s gas stations must find other means to insure against spills, a costly proposition.
Â“Private insurance is available,Â” said Chris Herb, vice president for the Independent Connecticut Petroleum Association. Â“But it is expensive, and not every gas station can get it.Â”

Meaning, about a third of our gas stations- mostly the Mom n' Pops- will be unable to pay and will close.

Currently, there are $17 million in approved claims against the fund, and another $81 million in pending claims. That adds up to a responsibility to provide $98 million in environmental remediation work.

The Underground Storage Tank Fund currently possesses $250,000.

Because, you see, it has been looted.

Legislators, other people in government; they see all this money effortlessly being raised for another purpose, and they can't help themselves. They see it, they want it, and they have no self-control. They are like little children left alone with a big bag of Halloween candy. They are like...stereotypical tax and spend Democrats.

Hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars have been collected in taxes for this fund over the last 20+ years that it has been in existence.

Over the past decade, the state legislature gradually decreased the portion of the gross receipts tax slated for the fund, diverting the money to the general fund. Even though the tax generates nearly $350 million annually, the underground storage tank fund receives less than 1 percent of that money.

Still, they should have some more money than 250K, right?
Wrong.

The tank fund is run by an independent 11-person board of government appointees and administered by DEEP staff. Because the program received a surplus of funding in the early years, this administration developed inefficiently, Brown said.
In the state budget, the tank fund will receive $1.25 million, but $1 million is devoured [LOOTED -Ed.] by staffing and administrative costs.

My emphasis. I am literally shaking with rage. If I were a gas station owner tasked with collecting this tax for the State of Connecticut for twenty damn years, I'd be, I don't know what.
Having a stroke, I guess.

Appointees.

Appointed. By other government folks.
The people of Connecticut have been overtaxed God-Knows-How-Many Billions of dollars to pay for environmental remediation, but instead of cleanup, they're getting...appointees.

For a bunch of environmentally-conscious liberals, they sure leave a lot to be desired when it's time for the rubber to hit the road, eh? Even protecting Gaia pales in importance beside getting a nice no-show paying gig for your idiot nephew, I guess.

Why, it's almost as if all their pious environmental posturing and punishing of businesses and taxpayers are all just really handy excuses to transfer money from your family to their friends.

LOOTED.

**I got this from the Hartford Business Journal because The Hartford Courant, our local leftist newspaper of record, no longer reports information that is embarrassing to the Dem-controlled legislature or Democrat Governor's office. I drove by the Courant building recently and was not surprised that very little is moving within.

Posted by: LauraW at 08:23 AM | Comments (115)
Post contains 584 words, total size 4 kb.

1 Barack Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable tyrant.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at February 28, 2012 08:24 AM (8y9MW)

2 But you see, it was in a lockbox.

Posted by: Ali Gore (PBUH) at February 28, 2012 08:26 AM (QxhpV)

3 Just shut up and pay your taxes, continue to vote Dem, and then rail against the conservatives who want to cut spending, because cutting spending will "hurt the children!"

Posted by: CT Democrat Machine at February 28, 2012 08:26 AM (nEUpB)

4 And that dumb RINO Perry (yes: some have been calling him that) was so much of a dumb RINO in Texas that he fought tooth-and-nail to prevent the Rainy Day fund from being looted.

Though I'll also say the state probably shouldn't have been insuring these anyway. As much as it sucks for mom-and-pop stores (not to mention the inevitable gas price increases for y'all in CT), I'm not sure I have a huge problem with the State ceasing to take tax-payer funds for doing this.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at February 28, 2012 08:26 AM (8y9MW)

5 Nepotism, baby!

Posted by: NC Ref at February 28, 2012 08:27 AM (/izg2)

6 Since the fund is bust and gas station owners have to find alternative insurance, will this be a govt program that actually gets cut?

Posted by: Gristle Encased Head at February 28, 2012 08:27 AM (+lsX1)

7 State and federal treasuries are nothing but corncribs full of rats, divvying up the proceeds of your work to their friends, and they despise you for it.

****

Yep. Our duty is to devote our lives, our property, and our sacred honor to insure that our betters have it real sweet. Just like the peasants in pre-revolutionary France.

Posted by: WalrusRex at February 28, 2012 08:28 AM (Hx5uv)

8 Since the fund is bust and gas station owners have to find alternative insurance, will this be a govt program that actually gets cut?

In Connecticut? It is to laugh! Ha! Ha!

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at February 28, 2012 08:28 AM (8y9MW)

9 meanwhile, back at the Ace of Spades ranch, the morons continue to ridicule the only candidate with a clue on how to stop the madness of the bloated leviathan. you get what you deserve.

Posted by: Shaftoe at February 28, 2012 08:29 AM (221D/)

10 Laura, check your numbers. I think you got an extra set of three zeroes in that first number.

Posted by: Grey Fox at February 28, 2012 08:29 AM (pU7Fy)

11 What's with that guy pictured in the article? Looks like he subsists on a diet comprised of nothing but spam and marshmellows.

Posted by: Gristle Encased Head at February 28, 2012 08:30 AM (+lsX1)

12 Posted by: Shaftoe at February 28, 2012 12:29 PM (221D/)

Yeah, well, Rick Perry shot himself in the feet. With a shotgun.

Unless you had someone else in mind?

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at February 28, 2012 08:30 AM (8y9MW)

13 Gristle, google image search 'blobfish.'

Posted by: lauraw at February 28, 2012 08:32 AM (vqkYJ)

14 Government has become like the mafia.

If you want to do business, you pay your protection money. No one shold expect the mob, or the government, will use that money in any fashion that is beneficial to the victim...

Posted by: 18-1 at February 28, 2012 08:32 AM (3aXbg)

15 Do not click on the link unless you like having nightmares for the next month. Do not click and look at the pic of Chris Herb.

Posted by: EC at February 28, 2012 08:34 AM (GQ8sn)

16 Just like the peasants in pre-revolutionary France.

We've gone from having three classes - those who fight, those who pray, and those who work to those who rule, and those who work, and those who take.

And it's good to be on the ruling side of that equation.

Posted by: 18-1 at February 28, 2012 08:34 AM (3aXbg)

17 Gee, I wonder what the proposed solution to this problem caused by government malfiesence will be? Hmmm. A real head scratcher!

Posted by: McLovin at February 28, 2012 08:35 AM (j0IcY)

18 Speaking of such things...

The city of Austin has apparently solved all their problems with crime, drugs, and assorted University of Texas students; they're now proposing to ban the use of plastic or paper grocery bags- forcing anyone who wishes to buy more than about 3 items at the grocery store to purchase those cloth bags which are such hot-beds for germs and disease.

And I thought Dallas was full of nut-jobs.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at February 28, 2012 08:35 AM (8y9MW)

19 So they collect $350M in taxes, and put $250k in the fund. And pay $1M to administer a $250k fund. Neat trick. So, it is less than .1% of the taxes put in the fund. Wow. But I bet the governor and legislators have a shit ton of SUVs to drive around in.

Posted by: blaster at February 28, 2012 08:35 AM (7vSU0)

20 And it's good to be on the ruling side of that equation.

The "taker" side isn't too shabby, either. At least- not until there are none left who work.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at February 28, 2012 08:36 AM (8y9MW)

21 That's a classic example. It has everything -- govt appointees milking the system, bullshit pious ecotards, regulatory capture, It's a perfect example of govt theft and incompetence. And the whole fund is probably meant to solve a non-existent problem in the first place. Genius.

Posted by: Clubber Lang at February 28, 2012 08:36 AM (ZPrif)

22 Connecticut's just doin' what every other blue state is doin'. (and some red states, too)

It's only going to get worse.

Posted by: Mr_Write at February 28, 2012 08:37 AM (VJUQK)

23 The Feds are going to come for 401ks for precisely this reason. All that money sitting there untaxed and out of their greedy paws. They can't help themselves.

Posted by: alexthechick at February 28, 2012 08:37 AM (yf2S8)

24 >>18 Gee, I wonder what the proposed solution to this problem caused by government malfiesence will be?

Obviously some sort of 30 member committee appointed by the governor to study the issue. Followed by anal.

Posted by: Dr Spank at February 28, 2012 08:38 AM (Sh42X)

25 Look at the federal gasoline tax. A tax to cover maintenance of roads and bridges. Last time I checked, at least 40% of the tax revenues were diverted to other spending. Not to mention the stimulus of 2009, which was sold to the public as necessary to upgrade our roads and bridges, and almost none of that money actually went to roads or bridges. They aren't even trying to hide the theft anymore.

Posted by: Vashta Nerada at February 28, 2012 08:38 AM (qx7YW)

26 Well, duh, who didn't know the evil oil companies were polluting the environment? Make Them Pay!!!

They really knew what they were doing when they took over indoctrinating the younguns.

Posted by: jeannebodine, SMOD-Bot at February 28, 2012 08:39 AM (byR8d)

*HACK*! *HACK*! *COUGH*!

(Man, am I parched...)

Posted by: The Tree of Liberty at February 28, 2012 08:39 AM (WDySP)

28 Who am I?

Posted by: John Galt at February 28, 2012 08:39 AM (l0jV9)

29 Since the fund is bust and gas station owners have to find alternative
insurance, will this be a govt program that actually gets cut?

The state will make sure they don't lose a open door-ed money making scheme, taxes will be raised for the children of course, everyone will have to kick in to pay for the new program and the old program, more jobs created for the right people to monitor it for the family.

Posted by: willow at February 28, 2012 08:39 AM (TomZ9)

30 I wonder how many other "lockboxes" have been similiarly looted at the state and municipal level? Additionally, if a station closes due to this, without private insurance, who is on the hook for the tanks: Connecticut citizens or all of us thru some Federal program, I'm aimost afraid to ask?

Posted by: Jean at February 28, 2012 08:39 AM (kUxiO)

31 The Feds are going to come for 401ks for precisely this reason. All that money sitting there untaxed and out of their greedy paws. They can't help themselves.

It's taxed when you take it out, but I understand what you're saying. It will be open season if that should come to pass.

Posted by: EC at February 28, 2012 08:39 AM (GQ8sn)

32 Additionally, if a station closes due to this, without private insurance, who is on the hook for the tanks:

Yes.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at February 28, 2012 08:40 AM (8y9MW)

33
In the state budget, the tank fund will receive $1.25 million, but $1 million is devoured by staffing and administrative costs.
-----------

See!!!! Govt spending DOES put people to work.

Posted by: Nancy Pelosi at February 28, 2012 08:41 AM (C8hzL)

34 I wonder how many other "lockboxes" have been similiarly looted at the state and municipal level?

Posted by: Jean at February 28, 2012 12:39 PM (kUxiO)

I'm going with 99%, because somewhere, somehow, one or two lockboxes may have been forgotten about.

Posted by: Vashta Nerada at February 28, 2012 08:43 AM (qx7YW)

35 First time I have ever turned Limbaugh off. Why doesn't he just go ahead and announce his support for Santorum? It's so obvious.

Posted by: jewells45 at February 28, 2012 08:44 AM (l/N7H)

36 Government has become like the mafia.

Posted by: 18-1 at February 28, 2012 12:32 PM (3aXbg)

Yep- when I heard the JEF talking about how he wanted business and government to be "partners" I immediately thought about "Goodfellas":

"But now the guy's gotta come up with Paulie's money every week, no matter what. Business bad? Fuck you, pay me. Oh, you had a fire? Fuck you, pay me. Place got hit by lightning, huh? Fuck you, pay me."

Not a good place to be if you run a business...

Posted by: Nighthawk at February 28, 2012 08:44 AM (RSqz2)

37 Well all CT has to do is raise their gas tax so instead of regular already bumping up against $4 it can zoom to $4.50 or maybe what the hell $4.75. Do I hear $5?

Posted by: Nevergiveup at February 28, 2012 08:44 AM (i6RpT)

38 >>Even protecting Gaia pales in importance beside getting a nice no-show paying gig for your idiot nephew, I guess.

Well, yeah. "The Environment" is just the hook to draw in the rubes. They really don't give a shit if gasoline is leaking into the municipal water supply because they can afford Fiji water.

Posted by: HeatherRadish at February 28, 2012 08:44 AM (ZKzrr)

39 We're all being taxed and looted.

Bail-outs for Too Big to Fail Globalist Banks for Mitt.
Bail-outs for Too Big to Fail Labor Interests for Rick.

Rick Santorum has moved beyond just 'taking one for the team' paying for robocalls to Democrats.

"Promise them anything; just get their votes." Don't claim that Romney wouldn't have done it or won't ever. With revisionists, never say never.

Posted by: panzernashorn at February 28, 2012 08:45 AM (lpWVn)

40 I can't believe I was so GD stupid to stay in the private sector! I could work less, make more and when I fuck up, which I do often, someone else would pay for it. Hell, based on my amount of fuck-ups I'd probably head of my Gov't department by now.

Posted by: BuckIV at February 28, 2012 08:45 AM (AtjNL)

41 And the whole fund is probably meant to solve a non-existent problem in the first place.

It probably wouldn't even be a story if there wasn't a real problem. The fund has $250k in assets and is on the hook for $81MM. The governor has offered to come up with $5MM, but the EPA told him to go piss up a rope. The dumb state of CT will probably raise gas taxes to cover it. It's for the children.

Posted by: Gristle Encased Head at February 28, 2012 08:45 AM (+lsX1)

42 We Are Being Looted

---------------

In related news.... water is wet.

Posted by: fixerupper at February 28, 2012 08:45 AM (C8hzL)

43 If you had given someone money and it was his job to make sure that you always had food in your pantry so that your children would never be hungry, and he comes back with a pkg of Ramen and a box of Saltines, because he blew the rest in Vegas, you would get your gun, put it up to one of his nostrils and pull. So why the special treatment for gov't?

Posted by: alppuccino at February 28, 2012 08:46 AM (+x10a)

44 Well all CT has to do is raise their gas tax so instead of regular already bumping up against $4 it can zoom to $4.50 or maybe what the hell $4.75. Do I hear $5?

It's incredible that people drive to Massachusetts to avoid paying higher taxes.

Posted by: fluffy at February 28, 2012 08:46 AM (vRSeu)

45 And it's good to be on the ruling side of that equation.

It's good to be the king.

Posted by: Mel Brooks at February 28, 2012 08:48 AM (YXmuI)

46 Similar deal in Maryland. The Democrat legislature and the Democrat governor have looted the transportation fund. Now, they want to raise the gas tax by 20-30 cents a gallon which they ... pinky swear... promise will be dedicated to transportation and ... double pinky swear... the promise never to raid the transportation fund to cover general funding.

Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at February 28, 2012 08:48 AM (AQD6a)

47 @26 Why stop there? The ONLY job government actually has is to build roads and bridges and provide for common defense. 100% of tax revenue is already supposed to be slated for these things, yet for some incomprehensible reason, it seems that every other day we need a new road and bridge tax... otherwise bridges will collapse on school buses which will then sink into the swamp underneath the road and all the childrens will die. How about we abolish "General Funds" altogether? If these gluttonous children want another dollar for their allowance, they need to tell us EXACTLY what it is for and bring us a receipt that it went there. No more "road and bridge" money that miraculously disappears into beer and hooker funds. Anyone who does otherwise gets shot in the head for embezzlement and treason.

Posted by: Damiano at February 28, 2012 08:48 AM (A2+pr)

48 Â“They passed laws in the past providing funding that they havenÂ’t honored,Â” Herb said.

Jeez, what does that sound like. Oh yeah, just every entitlement every thought of.

Posted by: Jay in Ames at February 28, 2012 08:48 AM (UEEex)

49 Don't ask us about the education funds!

Posted by: Michigan Demonrats at February 28, 2012 08:48 AM (yPM7l)

**I got this from the Hartford Business Journal because The Hartford Courant, our local leftist newspaper of record, no longer reports information that is embarrassing to the Dem-controlled legislature or Democrat Governor's office. I drove by the Courant building recently and was not surprised that very little is moving within.

......

Heh.....not much left for them to write about, if they are avoiding anything that is embarrassing to the Dems.

Posted by: wheatie at February 28, 2012 08:48 AM (UOOK1)

51 Chris Herb, also known as Mr Potato Head. Incidentally, hot coffee, when spewed forcefully, is an excellent monitor screen cleaner...

Posted by: Affenhauer at February 28, 2012 08:48 AM (PMbrs)

@19 Allen, if you've lived in this state long enough, you'd KNOW that Austin is its own special brand of "nut-job".

We don't call it "Berkeley on the Brazos" for nuthin'.......

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, TX at February 28, 2012 08:49 AM (0xqzf)

53 >>I can't believe I was so GD stupid to stay in the private sector! I could work less, make more and when I fuck up, which I do often, someone else would pay for it.

Don't forget the pension.

Posted by: HeatherRadish at February 28, 2012 08:49 AM (ZKzrr)

54
Big, bold and red on the program's website:

The current UST Program Balance is INSUFFICIENT to meet all recommended claim reimbursements for the August, October, December, 2009, the February, April, June, August, October, and December, 2010 and the April, June, and August 2011 Review Board Meetings.

http://goo.gl/yFOsE

Problem, bro?

Posted by: Laurie David's Cervix at February 28, 2012 08:49 AM (kdS6q)

55 Thanks for the anecdote, Laura. And anecdote it is. This shit is endemic. F+ckers.

Posted by: eureka! at February 28, 2012 08:50 AM (4e3Me)

A few tens of millions? That's baby shit. Here in the People's Republic of California, we're facing efforts to institute a new round of taxes to make up for the massive shortfall (many billions) in deficit (never mind the debt).

Of course, once the new taxes come into place, the Democrats won't use them to decrease the deficit (or, God forbid, pay down the debt). Of course not. They will suddenly realize that they have all the new lovely money sitting there doing nothing (as they see it), and institute new "programs" to help gay polar bears stop smoking or something.

Then we'll be back in the same situation we're in right now, except poorer. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Posted by: Jay Guevara at February 28, 2012 08:50 AM (43cx7)

57 Looters and Moochers. We were warned.

Posted by: dagny at February 28, 2012 08:52 AM (u50z0)

"this administration developed inefficiently, Brown said."

---

I'd say so. They missed 20% of the lootables.

Posted by: buzzsaw90 at February 28, 2012 08:52 AM (SO2Q8)

59 At a time of record deficits, a new soccer field for detainees at Camp 6 in Guantanamo Bay is just getting the finishing touches -- at a cost of $750,000 to taxpayers. And obama and this fine admin wants to cut the shit out of TRICARE, the Military Healthcare for both Active and Retired. Ya just can't make shit like this up

Posted by: Nevergiveup at February 28, 2012 08:53 AM (i6RpT)

60 Just like the peasants in pre-revolutionary France. We've gone from having three classes - those who fight, those who pray, and those who work to those who rule, and those who work, and those who take.

And it's good to be on the ruling side of that equation. /famous last words of Louis Philippe.

Recalling our Revolutionary Era, for all of the American Colonial indignation against the British Monarchy, Parliament and aristocracy, such was not applied against the French Monarchy with whom we plead alliance.

Posted by: panzernashorn at February 28, 2012 08:54 AM (lpWVn)

61 It always amazes me that we've allowed things to even get to this point, government forces us to give them a cut of our earnings every year right off the top, we never see that money we worked for making us indentured servants, and if we refuse they throw us in prison. And yet here are the Republican candidates barely even whispering about a slight tax cut of a few percentage points while millions of people are being forced to slave for politicians, it's disgusting.

Posted by: booger at February 28, 2012 08:54 AM (29wvc)

62 The "taker" side isn't too shabby, either. At least- not until there are none left who work.
***
Over the short term? No it isn't bad comparatively.

But if you imagine a rational economic order where people aren't paid to not work, over the longer term it would be much better for them to be in the work force. Just look at what like is like in your average government housing project.

Posted by: 18-1 at February 28, 2012 08:54 AM (3aXbg)

63 The food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps ever. Record numbers.

Meanwhile, the Nationa Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to "Please Do Not Feed the Animals" because the animals may grow dependent and not learn to take care of themselves.

Posted by: fixerupper at February 28, 2012 08:54 AM (C8hzL)

64 I'm going with 99%, because somewhere, somehow, one or two lockboxes may have been forgotten about.

That sentence just made me remember a movie I saw on tv: "City of Ember" based on the book of the same name. This is kinda off-topic, but the movie was about an underground city/bombshelter that was built to house around 400 people because the gov knew a war was about to happen. 200 adults and 200 children to be safely tucked away for 200 years in a massive bombshelter designed to look like a small city. The "lockbox" that was given to the first governor of the city contained all the instructions to exit the city was passed down from one to the next, generation after generation, until people started to forget exactly what and why they were keeping the box. One governor in the chain accidentally dies and the lockbox in her possession is left forgotten in a closet. The city continues on for 400 years, way past the original limits of the shelter. The problem of food, water, space, and other small but important details are sort of lazily left out, but the city's generator is about to finally die having been continuously run for 200 years past its service life. The lights keep flickering and the canned foods are becoming more and more scarce (I know, 400 years of canned food storage? Ummmm....). So the lockbox that has all the precise instructions on how to re-open the city and return to the surface is lost and forgotten until two kids (the young girl from Hanna) discover it and slowly start to realize what it is. The governor at that time is played by none other than Bill Murray, who wants to keep it from being discovered so he can hang onto power instead of freeing his citizens to return to the surface. The ending is kind of anti-climatic but it sort of reminded me of the Fallout series of computer games.

Posted by: EC at February 28, 2012 08:55 AM (GQ8sn)

65 Since it is probably a govt regulation that caused the need for the Underground Storage Tank Fund in the first place......the Dems will probably come up with 'waivers' now, to exempt the tank sites from having to comply, since they've looted the money to pay for the cleanup. .....Problem solved.

Posted by: wheatie at February 28, 2012 08:55 AM (UOOK1)

66 49 Similar deal in Maryland. The Democrat legislature and the Democrat governor have looted the transportation fund. Now, they want to raise the gas tax by 20-30 cents a gallon which they ... pinky swear... promise will be dedicated to transportation and ... double pinky swear... the promise never to raid the transportation fund to cover general funding.

Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at February 28, 2012 12:48 PM (AQD6a)

o'Malley is on the air waves 24-7 making an ass out of himself on social issues. Can you pay for those, bro? What a fucking loon. Way to go MD. They should just close all the roads in Maryland since the citizens are required to drive drunk, stupid, or blindfolded--haven't figured out which it is yet.

Posted by: dagny at February 28, 2012 08:56 AM (u50z0)

67 New bureaucracy/crony jobs program created today by executive order:
http://is.gd/iUD9AV

Can anyone translate that for me? All I get is "more paperwork and permits and fees for businesses, more international junkets for well-connected holders of degrees in * Studies."

Posted by: HeatherRadish at February 28, 2012 08:56 AM (ZKzrr)

68 I always knew there was a good reason for healthcare, environmental protection, education, food inspection, centers for disease control, welfare, foodstamps, beautician licenses, marriages, and so many hundreds of other concepts to be left out of our constitution, and left in the hands of the people.

Posted by: Vashta Nerada at February 28, 2012 08:56 AM (qx7YW)

69 Who was that dead guy who wrote about the Tree of Liberty needing to be watered by the blood of tyrants?

Moi??

Posted by: Tommy Boy Jefferson, at February 28, 2012 08:57 AM (UqKQV)

70 It's what progs do. Convince the rubes that there is a problem. Form a quasi government authority, fund it with taxpayer money, appoint your cronies, Hell you don't even need a cause if the voters are really stupid. Look no farther than mooshel's $300,000 hospital job.

Posted by: Buffalobob at February 28, 2012 08:59 AM (qiFDD)

71
Well, yeah. "The Environment" is just the hook to draw in the rubes. They really don't give a shit if gasoline is leaking into the municipal water supply because they can afford Fiji water.

Posted by: HeatherRadish at February 28, 2012 12:44 PM (ZKzrr)

Ah yes. I love seeing the pious libs when they are yapping about how green they are while sipping their Fiji water. Water bottled and then shipped to the US from Fiji aboard Gaia raping ships.

The Commonwealth of Virginia has been raiding their highway fund for the past 25 years to pay for everything but maintaining the highways, but now they want more money because the fund is now broke.

As for Social Security, there is a building in DC stacked with IOU's from the Federal government so that Obama could fly around a little longer so he could watch a basketball game.

Posted by: MrCaniac at February 28, 2012 08:59 AM (1grxW)

72 Again, what is anybody going to do about it? Nothing but piss and moan. I thought so. We are all Argentina now. So STFU.

Posted by: Like I Said at February 28, 2012 08:59 AM (+1mNA)

73 The real way we are being looted is by degradation of our currency. It is a hidden tax, everything we pay for costs more.

Posted by: navybrat at February 28, 2012 08:59 AM (5A2kg)

74 We need more than just elections to fix this.

Posted by: Vashta Nerada at February 28, 2012 09:00 AM (qx7YW)

75 Theywill suddenly realize that they have all the new lovely money sitting there doing nothing (as they see it), and institute new "programs" to help gay polar bears stop smoking or something.

ok that was funny as hell. Because it's mostly true.

Posted by: NC Ref at February 28, 2012 09:01 AM (/izg2)

76 We used to Tar & Feather the folks responsible for such a crime.

Posted by: MoeMoe at February 28, 2012 09:01 AM (cey9b)

77 Who was that dead guy who wrote about the Tree of Liberty needing to be watered by the blood of tyrants?

Moi??

-------------

Yeah...but you were a white, rich, slave owner/impregnator that didnt want to pay his fair share of taxes sooooooo fuck you!!!!!

Posted by: Typical Leftwing Talkinghead at February 28, 2012 09:01 AM (C8hzL)

We all know that things like this will never change until the people who are responsible for or even somewhat associated with it have a real fear of losing their lives and/or going to a Federal PMITA prison over it. Therefore, they will party on and you will pay the bill. If you're not interested in paying the bill, eventually really nice men in black kevlar driving an APC will offer you a stark choice.

Posted by: Jaws at February 28, 2012 09:02 AM (4I3Uo)

79 Heck, Alabama is still collecting taxes for the Civil War.

Posted by: Julie at February 28, 2012 09:03 AM (O/fK8)

How convenient. The EPA demands the fund be filled with money... or else the businesses go belly up, but the state EPA administrators are off the hook completely.

The gov't admins say "Geez, that was easy."

Oh, and the reporter got the Republican to say he managed the money poorly. (He didn't have much to do with it since he is the Minority leader, and it was the majority - Democrats - that did it, but nonetheless...).

Posted by: SnowSun at February 28, 2012 09:04 AM (UAUr6)

81
We are all Argentina now.

So STFU.

Posted by: Like I Said at February 28, 2012 12:59 PM (+1mNA)

You have no idea how wrong you are--no clue, so maybe YOU should STFU.

Or, duck and cover....

Posted by: SantaRosaStan at February 28, 2012 09:04 AM (UqKQV)

82 Heck, Alabama is still collecting taxesfor the Civil War.

Posted by: Julie at February 28, 2012 01:03 PM (O/fK

Yeah, but they are still rebuilding bridges burnt in 1863, and you know how long those road and bridge projects take.

Posted by: Vashta Nerada at February 28, 2012 09:05 AM (qx7YW)

83 Allen, if you've lived in this state long enough, you'd KNOW that Austin is its own special brand of "nut-job".

Mostly I just try to forget that Austin even exists.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) SMOD 2012 at February 28, 2012 09:06 AM (8y9MW)

84 What we really need to do is take a good, long look at the EPA, calmly evaluate its costs, benefits, its successes and failures, its original mandate and what it does now and burn it to the ground.
Then we can maybe talk about replacing it, after we get gas down to $2 a gallon.

Posted by: Lance McCormick at February 28, 2012 09:07 AM (bp264)

"We are all Argentina now."

And we don't even have a good-looking First Lady. Fuck.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Clitoris at February 28, 2012 09:08 AM (zF6Iw)

86 72 recall history, France going broke was what set off the chain of events that caused Louis XVI to lose his head.
--

Yep, raising taxes. The British raised Colonial taxes in order to pay for their war against France. The French had lost their American colonies to the British, and the tax burden fell on the least wealthy French. The Czar also lost his legacy raising taxes on the poor in order to fund Imperial Wars of aggression, maintaining their Asia Minor dominance. Losing to Japan certainly caused the Czar to lose face, and WWI didn't help settle a damned thing for anyone given WWII, etc.

Even during the French Revolution and subsequent Napoleonic Wars, which French Territory did Americans wrest from France through warfare? I don't know of any, but never thought of it.

Napoleon sold Americans (Jefferson) the Louisiana Purchase.

From whom did America purchase the territory for Liberia in Africa for the return of African-Americans after the War between the States? (Nothing "civil" or humanitarian about warfare, war being hell.)

America didn't attempt to claim as US Territory lands pertaining to the French Empire. Even in IndoChina, the US did not assume monopolization of Vietnam until after the French forfeited (DeGaul).

Posted by: panzernashorn at February 28, 2012 09:10 AM (lpWVn)

87 91 It's obvious after reading this venomous diatribe that Republicans don't care about polluters and are willing to let them continue to pollute our groundwater. All in the name of lower taxes.

Posted by: Fitzgerald Rothschild III at February 28, 2012 01:10 PM (phlKA)

Good effort. But, Republicans are smart enough to realize that if you poison enough groundwater, you eventually run out of customers. Eventually, you run out of business and lower taxes are the least of your concerns...

Posted by: Affenhauer at February 28, 2012 09:16 AM (PMbrs)

88 This issue hits pretty close to home. I'm in the business of remediating these releases in CT. The independant stations whose fuel delivery system isn't owned by a large company (we have several; Alliance, Drake, etc) are truly fucked. Even if they decide the private insurance is too much and have to close up shop, they're still on the hook for proper closure or abandonment of their USTs as well as any associated clean up costs if there happened to be a release.

Posted by: Wyatt's Torch at February 28, 2012 09:18 AM (8H2mh)

89 Another outrage:

You've all heard how scarce and expensive California water is? How we have to keep increasing the rates to "repair infrastructure"?

Horseshit, and the MFM is finally noticing: http://preview.tinyurl.com/8y576ep

Posted by: PJ at February 28, 2012 09:24 AM (DQHjw)

90 This should be nailed to the door of the state house.

Posted by: skinbad at February 28, 2012 09:27 AM (L544e)

91 Don't think of it as looting. Think of it as a tax. A tax for no service. but it creates jobs for my cronies. Sucker.

Posted by: President Algae O'Teleprompter at February 28, 2012 09:28 AM (XBdI0)

92 So goes the social security fund,
So goes the tobacco tax supposedly for education in my state,
So goes various alcohol taxes,
Ad infinitum...

When will people wake up and figure out that the government does a MUCH shittier job of handling our money than private citizens do, and they should be permitted to touch it as Precious Little As Possible in order to Barely function.

Posted by: Cthulhu's Abeft Tentacle at February 28, 2012 09:31 AM (xm1A1)

93 Re: 94, that guy is making $330,00 / yr. WTF.

Posted by: Tonic Dog at February 28, 2012 09:32 AM (X/+QT)

94 89 "We are all Argentina now."

And we don't even have a good-looking First Lady. Fuck.

I'd hit it.

Posted by: Chewbacca at February 28, 2012 09:34 AM (xm1A1)

We don't call it "Berkeley on the Brazos" for nuthin'.......

Teresa, we don't call it "Berkeley on the Brazos" but it's because it is on the Colorado.

However, I agree with the sentiment.

Posted by: Mr. Dave at February 28, 2012 09:35 AM (OBDWE)

Remember when government was honest? Yeah, me neither.

Posted by: Hydrocarbon Liberation Front at February 28, 2012 09:40 AM (mP3uM)

97 Heh, They day CT was screwed was the day weicker got the income tax passed. It was, of course, supposed to fix the budget crisis. Now how big is the state deficit?

Posted by: Famine at February 28, 2012 09:43 AM (UqCge)

98 Fast Eddie Rendell raided the Doctor's Malpractice Fund in PA "for the children". Great guy, that Fast Eddie. I'd love to run into him sometime to thank him on behalf of the children.

Posted by: dfbaskwill at February 28, 2012 09:54 AM (71LDo)

99 "Meaning, about a third of our gas stations- mostly the Mom n' Pops- will be unable to pay and will close."

Eight bucks a gallon, buddy. Coming soon to a station nowhere near you.

Posted by: Blacque Jacques Shellacque at February 28, 2012 09:58 AM (1rHeD)

100 Worse State to retire to. Forgot where I read that.

Posted by: sickinmass at February 28, 2012 10:05 AM (bcNec)

101 A lot of people in one or another branch of government should be in the justice sector instead. And by "in" I mean "in the custody of." If this isn't criminal, nothing is.

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith at February 28, 2012 10:12 AM (bxiXv)

102 One at a time the looters needed to be hunted down like osama bin laden.

Posted by: sTevo at February 28, 2012 10:30 AM (FzVlt)

103

Proud to be an American.

Proud to be a resident of new England and the State of Connecticut?

Not so much.

Posted by: West at February 28, 2012 10:32 AM (1Rgee)

104 It's nice to see that Democrats do such a good job administrating government-mandated insurance programs. I wonder if they could do this well with medical insurance?

Posted by: Norcross at February 28, 2012 10:41 AM (RM0br)

105 Same thing in Michigan. Go figger.

Posted by: Gern Blanstein at February 28, 2012 10:51 AM (nVDEx)

106 What I don't get is why a smart, intelligent person like Laura would be surprised by this raiding of the, or any, fund by the Legislature in CT. They've been doing it for years. The boaters, sportsmen and women and commercial fishery owners of CT have been raising the alarm for a long time about this as their fees are collected and never end up in the right account - it is all subordinate to the "General Fund" from which Don Williams and the rest of the criminal legislature can hand out money to their friends, cronies and state unions.

Look what they did to the state teachers retirement fund - there wasn't a years worth left in the fund that would have been just perfectly fine if it hadn't gone into the "General Fund". There isn't a single retirement fund run by the state of CT that has any money in it for anything. Denise Napier has known it for years as did Nancy Wyman, and as did Susan Bysiewicz I might add and nothing has ever been said about it. And those are the politicians who are supposed to raise the alarm when it all starts circling the crapper.

Posted by: Tom Francis at February 28, 2012 10:58 AM (U5IXl)

107 This whole idea that there is a political class, or that you can make an entire career through public service either elected or appointed, needs to be done away with in its entirety. This is a poison tree growing from toxic soil, and this program is emblematic of the fruit it bears.

Posted by: Cato at February 28, 2012 11:01 AM (X95lU)

108 Laura; why are you still in CT? In fact, why is anyone other than the looters still in CT?

Posted by: Vic at February 28, 2012 11:12 AM (YdQQY)

109 The Pythons

http://www.youtube.com /watch?v= K7D8A7e4TEY

Sorry

Posted by: DaveA at February 28, 2012 11:19 AM (2eUbq)

110

As a former CT native, I do not understand why people are so very complacent with their money? My relatives are paying something like 32k in real estate taxes!! And their houses are half the size of mine...How they can stay afford it, is beyond me.

Yep, that little fund has some siblings, don't it? SS, medicare, O'care... THE LOCKBOXES ARE xxx EMPTY xxxx!!!

Posted by: defensusa at February 28, 2012 11:32 AM (S0aj8)

111 In a word, "progressives." It does not matter which party. Both have the dreaded life sucking critters.

{+_+}

Posted by: JBD at February 28, 2012 01:25 PM (FFAG2)

112 In Oregon they simply invented new regulations that the indy gas station owners couldn't afford to pay for so one day 1/3 of all the gas stations in the state closed. The greenies loved it because gas prices went up. The franchised big oil stations loved it because they stole the business and raised prices. The Democrats loved it because they could brag they were green and cash in on campaign contributions.

But it is an unlawful tax. Placed upon the poor and working class. So we pay so they can play.

Posted by: DANEgerus at February 28, 2012 03:13 PM (e3/KR)

113 I read this at work today but did not want to leave a comment from there. AWESOME post Laura. I work in environmental consulting, although not in the UST arena anymore. Forwarded it to an colleague of mine and he says Pennsy's UST fund owes his firm about 100K. Been trying to collect FOR YEARS. I would imagine this is probably not limited to just CT. These regulatory totalitarians just fined the company I do consulting for an insane amount of money for - wait for it now - the improper storage of florescent light tubes. I'd go into more detail here but its late and I don't want to get by blood pressure boiling.

Posted by: Keith Richards at February 28, 2012 03:31 PM (EeF07)

114 No, I think I need to hear how it is possible to improperly store glass tubes, if you have the energy this evening?
jeeeebus

Posted by: lauraw at February 28, 2012 05:14 PM (DbybK)

115 They are more like child molesters who can't stay away from children

Posted by: big c at February 28, 2012 07:41 PM (gadwI)

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