The Observation Deck
Neighbors Celebrating Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity While Speaking Over The Digital Fence
Moderator: Jim O'Bryan
But in Alaska, Palin is the envy of governors nationwide for the annual checks the state doles out to nearly every resident, representing their share of the revenues from the state's oil riches. She boosted those checks this year by raising taxes on oil.
In Alaska, residents pay no income tax or state sales tax. They receive a yearly dividend check from a $30 billion state investment account built largely from royalties on its oil. When home fuel and gas costs soared last year, Palin raised taxes on big oil and used some of the money to boost residents' checks by $1,200. Thus every eligible man, woman and child got a record $3,269 this fall.
Dividends - Distribution of earnings to owners of a CORPORATION in cash, other ASSETS of the corporation, or the corporation's CAPITAL STOCK.
Tax - Charge levied by a governmental unit on income, consumption, wealth, or other basis.
shareholdersIvor Karabatkovic wrote:Isn't this the same thing that they scolded Barack Obama for day after day? You know, taxing the oil companies and giving the money back to the taxpayers?
Imagine if more states were not hampered by the Federal Government and the liberal Congress when it comes to drilling for oil.....In Alaska, residents pay no income tax or state sales tax. They receive a yearly dividend check from a $30 billion state investment account built largely from royalties on its oil. Palin raised taxes on big oil last year. With oil prices soaring this year, she was able to increase the checks by $1,200 to help residents hit by higher home fuel and gas costs. Thus every eligible man, woman and child got a record $3,269 this fall.
She also suspended the8-cent tax on gas.
"We can afford to share resource wealth with Alaskans and to temporarily suspend the state fuel tax," she said at the time.
Much as Obama explains his tax hike on the rich as a way to help people who are struggling, Palin's statement talked about the energy costs burdening Alaskans:
"While the unique fiscal circumstances the state finds itself in at the end of this fiscal year warrant a special one-time payment to share some of the stat
Stephen Eisel wrote: Imagine if more states were not hampered by the Federal Government and the liberal Congress when it comes to drilling for oil.....
The offshore ban just expired this year...Phil Florian wrote:Stephen Eisel wrote: Imagine if more states were not hampered by the Federal Government and the liberal Congress when it comes to drilling for oil.....
So the idea to drill only happened in the last 2 years of the Bush regime? What were they thinking in the previous 6? Did they really think that Iraq was going to provide for all our oil needs at cost for the rest of recorded time or something?
Stephen Eisel wrote:The offshore ban just expired this year...Phil Florian wrote:Stephen Eisel wrote: Imagine if more states were not hampered by the Federal Government and the liberal Congress when it comes to drilling for oil.....
So the idea to drill only happened in the last 2 years of the Bush regime? What were they thinking in the previous 6? Did they really think that Iraq was going to provide for all our oil needs at cost for the rest of recorded time or something?
The ban was put in place about 27 years ago....Phil Florian wrote:Stephen Eisel wrote:The offshore ban just expired this year...Phil Florian wrote:Stephen Eisel wrote: Imagine if more states were not hampered by the Federal Government and the liberal Congress when it comes to drilling for oil.....
So the idea to drill only happened in the last 2 years of the Bush regime? What were they thinking in the previous 6? Did they really think that Iraq was going to provide for all our oil needs at cost for the rest of recorded time or something?
So to get clear on this...this is an annual ban that Congress routinely upholds and did so for the first 6 years of the Republican dominated Washington and 1 year of the slim Democratic majority. So the Republicans who supported the ban for the last 20-odd years didn't let it lapse but the Democrats did and yet it was, in your estimation, the "liberal" Congress that has been the barrier?
My head, it is spinning. What, exactly, did the All-Republican Washington do for 6 years in this regard? Why didn't they, in all their "Drill baby!" wisdom let this easily slide into obscurity when they owned the house? If it wasn't a good idea 2000-2006, why was it a good idea now?