Taxes, by the second

It's hard to fathom how big a number 21.5 billion really is.

Try counting it this way: $678 per second. That's the figure you get if you divide $21.5 billion by the number of seconds in a year. It's how the state Republican Party wants people to think about the $21.5 billion budget proposed by Gov. Mike Easley. The party has launched a site that ticks up the dollars by the second.

"When you see it in real numbers, I think that makes it come to life, just how much government has grown in North Carolina in the last five to 10 years," said Brent Woodcox, a spokesman for the state Republican party.

There are obvious problems with the math here. Not all of the state's revenue comes from tax dollars or from individual taxpayers. And not every North Carolinian pays the same amount. Nor does all the money come in at equal amounts over the course of a year.

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Re: Taxes, by the second

Submitted by uncgop on May 21, 2008 - 10:50am.

Great post...truly great...I just want to emphasize one point. Each candidate should be evaluated on an individual basis and not according to party. Until NCians truly grasp the concept of not judging a book by its cover (political party) then true leadership might be elected in NC. The Dems have failed us for a very long time now...let's shake it up.

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Re: Taxes, by the second

Submitted by presbush on May 21, 2008 - 8:19am.

I am not surprised at all and actually would be surprised if state spending did not increase. Our state has been in control of Democrats so long and Governor Easley knows nothing but tax and spend. Ask the question. Why do people who live near the S.C. border go to S.C. to buy gasoline? It is because of lower state gasoline taxes and when you drive in S.C. have you ever noticed they have much better roads than N.C. I have no sympathy as long as people of N.C. continue sending the same party back to Raleigh year after year. I would hope at sometime a light would come on in peoples head to say "maybe we should vote Republican for a change". I am fully aware that Republicans on the national level have failed with spending restraint but let's at least consider giving them a chance on the local level to bring down taxes and spending.

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