Comments about ‘Current cuts won't get Utah through 2011’

Let's sell off the multi-million dollar offices the legislators built for themselves. They are full of cutting edge technology and top of the line furniture.

Meanwhile my kid goes to class in a trailer with no heat...

So you would prefer that the legislature do its work with old technology in makeshift office space? That sure sounds to me like being penny wise and pound foolish.

I would prefer that they balance the budget fairly across the shoulders of ALL Utahans. Taxing food is a mistake. Taxing luxury spending is not.

How about quit spending. Everyone knows that every so many years there are down sides on revenue. Quit spending all revenues during the good years.
We have to do it as families. Do it as politicians.

As a state, we've done a fine job of cutting the charitable services of government. The poor, hungry, disabled, abused, etc., continue to experience service cuts, through it saves us so very little in the long run. We have a horribly regressive tax system for the obvious reason that it benefits the upper middle class who vote and the very rich and the corporate entities who are able to purchase votes. I am sad that my party has become so penurious and so prostituted that Envirocare, the Utah Manufacturers Association, the Utah Mining Association, the Utah Retail Merchants Association, Intermountain Health Care, and Gayle Ruzicka thrown in for comic relief, really do control the majority of the Republican legislators through their purchasing power. We, the people, voted you in. Can't you, just for a moment, turn your ears away from cash and Jazz tickets and free meals to listen to the public?

Raise taxes, equalize taxes, if that is what it takes to keep the streets safe, classes small, disabled in shelters, and feed the poor.

Please, please listen.

So when are "We the people" going to say enough is enough and start firing these lawmakers that have lead this state into such a mess. Leaders of any private company who would have lead the company, as our government officials have lead this state, into such disarray would have been fired and replaced. Personal, I believe enough is enough, it's now time to hold our government officials accountable for the mismanagement of OUR money, the government is to work for the people NOT the other way around. Quit eating the grass and lift your heads so you can see what's happening ALL around this great country

Years of surpluses and it was given back to the wealthiest people during election year. If this was a business, they would have been required to save all of the money for rainy days. This is a mess that the republicans created buying votes, rather than saving the money for rainy days. Our Capital building bond required a payment of 3% of the overall budget in good times, more now that revenues are down.
This stinks, period!

It seems that raising taxes is the states idea of cuts in spending. Instead of eliminating dead weight departments like Human Services and aid to non citizen illegals. Raise funds by eliminating spending.

One thing that can be done is limit the number of exemptions to 5 on tax returns and state withholding from payroll checks to 5. If the families want 12 kids then let these families help pay their share. The days of needing large families as farm hands is long gone. We need to create and incentive not to have more than 3 children unless you can support them without welfare.

Another most important tax benefit for the state is to start taxing illegal aliens incomes. It's time they stopped benefiting from tax free incomes. Anyone who thinks illegals and their employers are paying income and state and federal taxes are in a bubble. Illegals do not exist on payrolls, with the IRS, with Medicare, Medicaid, SSA, or any agency that collects taxes. And the employers do not pay any matching taxes.

The state legislators should worry about tax fraud and non citizens looting our taxes and education funds. saving billions of dollars a year.

I can't imagine that subsidizing 100,000+ illegal immigrants and their children is helping balance the budget. When are people going to admit that this influx of illegals is a financial burden to our State. It's not racist or discriminant to want illegals out of our state. It's responsible and the right thing to do for our future. Our politicians and local officials have FAILED all of us in this area because they are scared and fragile when it comes to this issue. Two qualities that so-called leaders should never possess. SAD!

To Regretful,

I'm right there with you. I don't understand how these guys can live with the decisions they are making. You forgot to mention the real estate lobby which probably has more power than all of the others combined.

Unfortunately money talks even amongst our brethren in the legislature.

My guess is they will cut education even more this next year and raise our already crazy class size another kid or two while complaining about the job our teachers are doing...

David @ 6:23 p.m.
Time to start taking your meds again Pard. It's a global economic downturn, what part of that don't you understand? Utah has always been a "Pay as you Go" state, and very good at providing what its CITIZENS ask for. The myth that there is massive waste and fraud in Utah state govenment is just that, a myth. Now its time for the CITIZENS to step up to the plate, either pay for what you want, or get used to an education system worthy of a Third World country, a state where we through the poor and the sick to the wolves, and a state infrastructure that is rotting in place for lack of maintenace.

If the money isn't available, cut the spending. The statement in the article that cuts are one time only. Get real, if the money isn't there cut again! Governments role is not to fund the population.

Um.... I am confused by some of the comments so far. Utah IS the best managed State. Law Makers don't spend money they don't have - unlike the Federal Government - and you are criticizing them? Would love to see your individual financial patterns as it probably includes much more debt than savings. Wake up people. Since when has being realistic been such a crime? Raising taxes is not the answer.

I agree with both David and John. Taxing necessities is not necessarily an answer. However, my question is what is the definition of low income? My husband and I both work and fall into the middle class range-so we would pay more (again) in taxes with the sales tax back on food, but I'm guessing we wouldn't be able to claim anything related to that on our taxes. Seems like there's lots on attention focused on making things easier for the poor, convienent for the wealthy, but it's the middle class that is bearing the most burden.

1 - Stop having so many children.
2 - Elderly residents quit living so long.
3 - Cut taxes, this also cures cancer and global warming.
4 - Reduce medicare benefits.
5 - Reduce police and fire dept. services.
6 - Close the University of Utah.
7 - Rescind the 5% Utah tax rate that disproportionately benefited the rich.

Truth? The world is in a financial mess, because of Wall Street and 30-40 years of bad public policies.

If we want someone to blame, we all need to look in the mirror. Our economy wasn't real, many personal finances were based on borrowed funds, and government spending has been based on borrowed funds for decades.

The future is ugly and we have no one to blame but ourselves. So pull out your wallets, it is time to make up for the decades in which we screamed for "lower taxes" even though we left that burden on our children. Guess we lived too long and now have to pay for it ourselves?

The real problem is that the poor and middle class pay 8% plus in state and local taxes while the "rich" pay less than 6%. This situation is wrong. It should be the other way around or at the very least we should all being paying the same percentage.

We the people need to stand up and stop this abuse. Vote the bums out.

How about government living on the same insurances we get for health care and retiring on Social Security like we have to instead of having having full pay retirement and a medical program paid for by taxpayers. This and stripping illegals of all benefits. It would also help if we cracked down on the companies large and small that hire them. Many times they pay in cash and we all lose. We are a country on it's way down and it is high time the citizens "We the People" have our say implemented.

It is time the rich pay their fare share. We need a progressive tax structure, so everyone carries their share of the load. The data in this article proves that the rich are not paying their share and it does not include the tax exemptions they get for business purchases (Hummers as work trucks, mountain cabins as business property, ski passes as business expenses, etc.). The working poor have carried this state long enough. It is time for the rich to do their share.

It occurs to e that 5% of $100,000 is almost double 8% of $30,000.Who isn't paying their fair share. More services are available to the low income earners as well. Quit with the percentages and look at the truth.

You want more tax revenue from the rich? Then lower tax rates on them.