Posts Tagged ‘Pizza Hut’
The problem with government? Those who represent us are rich and out of touch with how the majority live.
August 19th, 2010 | 
Author: The larger percentage of local governments across the USA and the federal government in Washington are headed up by the wealthy of our nation–those who have personal gross income in excess of $166,000 per year. And in Washington the wealth factor goes even higher. In our Congress we have 263 multimillionaires–almost half. If our Congress were truly representative to the people that it is supposed to serve, this percentage, instead of consisting of about 48% of multimillionaires, would be at 1% or 2%. Yes that is correct, if our Congress were representative of the people, we would have one or two multimillionaires which would be representative of our population and not 263. As for the rest of them, they all range in income from the upper 2% down to the upper 5%.
So our Congress is representative of about 5% of Americans.
These people are totally out of touch, and furthermore don’t give a damn, regarding the MAJORITY of Americans and how we live. They really don’t get it because they are doing just fine. America, as it has become today, works for the rich, the upper 5%–just not the other 95%.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING DECISIONS FOR THE REST OF US! IT IS ABSURD! WE DO NOT HAVE A DEMOCRACY. WE HAVE AN OLIGARCHY OF THE RICH.
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Local governments are not any better. Look at the recent decisions made, for example by the local city council of Plano Texas. In November of 2009 they paid $2.1 of taxpayer money in incentives (extortion) to Pizza Hut to move their headquarters from Addison Texas (a few miles away) to Plano. I believe that one of their council members referred to is as a “jewel” in their crown. Perfect analogy from a “royal” ruler. Sometimes I think that some of the people heading up our governments treat act as if they are in some fraternity or sorority vying for prizes during Greek week instead of actually representing citizens. Citizens of Plano who do not belong to the upper 5% club will be paying in the form of higher property taxes. Yes the City of Plano had to raise property taxes for the second or third time in as many years. Do you wonder why?
If you do, I can give you another reason: Just this week they allocated $7.5 million dollars for improvement of their public golf course! What percentage of citizens in Plano do you think play golf? I would venture to guess that at the very most it would amount to one or two percent. Nowhere near the majority will benefit from this expenditure–yet all of the property owners will be paying for it in the form of higher taxes. This is the same council who told their black community that they could not afford $500,000 for a black community center because as one council member smugly put it: “They represent the whole community and not just a neighborhood.” Ironically, he was the only black member of their city council.
As for bringing the headquarters of Pizza Hut to Plano. This might have been worth it if Pizza Hut had been located in another state, but in an adjoining city within the same urban area? Please. How many people do you think moved to Plano from Addison? How many people do you think now shop in a grocery store in Plano who once shopped in Addison? That move was little more than an ego trip for the city council that raised property taxes for the citizens of that community.
And Plano is not that different from all the other local governments across the USA and all the local governments across the USA are not that different from Washington. They are all ruled from the perspective of the rich. Someone needs to tell these people that they are not the majority.
YES THIS IS A CLASS WAR AND YOU ARE WRONG (OR RICH) IF YOU SAY OTHERWISE.
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NO MORE FREE RIDES FOR WALL STREET AT A LOCAL LEVEL
SOMEONE NEEDS TO REMIND LOCAL LEADERS THAT TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS IS A MYTH
For one specific example, the citizens of Plano Texas could contact their local council members in person and let them know how penny wise and pound foolish they are in bending over for Wall Street Corporations.
In November of 2009, we saw reported on WFFA that Pizza Hut is now poised to move from Addison to Plano. the company will likely build its new headquarters at the Legacy business park, alongside other corporate giants like JC Penney, Frito Lay and Hewlett-Packard. “Any time you can get a national or multi-national corporation to call your city its home base or headquarters, it’s a huge thing for a community, a very positive signal to people that this is a great place to do business,” said Plano Mayor Phil Dyer. Another council member referred to is as a “jewel in Plano’s crown.”
Those incentives were approved by the Plano City Council in November of 2009, including a $1,350,000 tax break, $500,000 in relocation expenses and $250,000 cash for building inspection and permit fees. –Did any interested citizen ask if the $1,350,000 tax break was a one time event, or an ongoing gift from the taxpayers of Plano? Did anyone ask if the $250,000 waiver of permit fees was a one time event or another annual gift?
The Pizza Hut, a Wall Street corporation moved from Addision, a nearby community to Plano. Does anyone really think that people from Addison and nearby communities are going to sell their homes and move to Plano because of this move of the corporate headquarters?
Does anyone think that these employees will do any more shopping in Plano that they did before–not likely. The real beneficiary of this largess provided by the elected officials of Plano was not its citizens. It was Pizza Hut.
And those local conservatives of Plano who love to yammer about lowering property taxes would do well to remember their property taxes were raised in 2006 to the tune of $40 a year per $244,000 homes (and more or less according to value of home) in 2006–just to provide for such nonsensical shell games as communities competing against each other for the “honor” of a Wall Street corporation in their midst.
“CONSERVATIVE” REPUBLICANS NEED TO START CONNECTING THE DOTS
Plano City Council members got their first look at the proposed 2011 budget on Wednesday that calls for a property tax rate increase for a second straight year.
The annual tax bill on a house valued at $245,802, the city average, would rise $14 to $990 under the recommended budget from City Manager Tom Muehlenbeck.
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Perhaps if the Plano City Council would stop giving away the taxpayers money to Wall Street corporations like Pizza Hut. Perhaps if they asked that Pizza Hut like all the other corporate freeloaders in Plano to pay their fair share of local taxes that the citizens would not be stuck paying the freeloaders bill.