kirkland212
Member
I can't believe it!!!! Everyone get your fine money ready!!!
Massachusetts; 13th state to decriminilize small amounts of pot?
- Thread starter thekingofNY
- Start date
Yup! MMJ is next on the to-do list. Of the people with whom I spoke before the vote, most did mention at one point in the conversation that one of the reasons was because they supported the use of MMJ and that voting for decrim would send the 'pot is not the devils weed' message to our government officials and get the ball rolling.
But in the meantime, I'm puffin tough and enjoying it 100%~ lol
Also we kept our income tax- phew, not like I enjoy it but heck, you ever see PROPERTY tax numbers in states with no income tax? I make very little money and own a home- already my property tax bill on a modest home is over $3000/year. That's TEN PERCENT of my annual salary! Those who profit by no income tax are the ones who make a lot of money and are taxed in a higher bracket. If your income sucks, you're not paying a lot of tax as it is. We can't be losing what social services we have left.
And way to go on banning greyhound racing. That's an antiquated, at best, 'sport' with no value to the people of MA.
I'm happy to see us showing some good sense at the polls!
But in the meantime, I'm puffin tough and enjoying it 100%~ lol
Also we kept our income tax- phew, not like I enjoy it but heck, you ever see PROPERTY tax numbers in states with no income tax? I make very little money and own a home- already my property tax bill on a modest home is over $3000/year. That's TEN PERCENT of my annual salary! Those who profit by no income tax are the ones who make a lot of money and are taxed in a higher bracket. If your income sucks, you're not paying a lot of tax as it is. We can't be losing what social services we have left.
And way to go on banning greyhound racing. That's an antiquated, at best, 'sport' with no value to the people of MA.
I'm happy to see us showing some good sense at the polls!
G
guest
Congrats to MA from MI!!
Way to fight!
Way to fight!
the_man
Member
Crazy~Lazy said:
you can always decline the drug test they can not force you to take one. just like a DUI if you get poped for a DUI and you know your drunk your better off declining the tests. but they could give you a penlty for not taking it like in a DUI case automatic 1 year supsion of your license
thekingofNY
Cannasseur
Wow stinky.... we have much much different political views, but that doesn't surprise me and its cool cause that's what makes this country great. Without revenue from the greyhound tracks.... it gonna have to go up(taxes) a bit somewhere else... also, i am no scientist, but I am willing to bet that a happy greyhounds runs much faster/often than a miserable one, but that's just me. I do however know that a loosing greyhound doesn't make any money. Furthermore the tracks don't even own the dogs 
Man I hate bad Fundie politcal advertisements weeks before the election, they did they same thing 2 years ago with Should alcohol be sold everywhere. And people actually believed those lies too and voted against it
And for the record, tax bills in other states are no where near as high as New England.... and i am talking states with no state income tax. The lower to middle class generally is not paying property tax, so i have to disagree with u alot on this point....
There is a reason this state is also know as 'taxachusetts'... although ill take my decriminalized weed and gay people I guess. If we could just decriminalize fireworks n guns id be pretty content.
And yes we can loose the social services we waste money on, the governments job isn't to take care of the people.
Man I hate bad Fundie politcal advertisements weeks before the election, they did they same thing 2 years ago with Should alcohol be sold everywhere. And people actually believed those lies too and voted against it
And for the record, tax bills in other states are no where near as high as New England.... and i am talking states with no state income tax. The lower to middle class generally is not paying property tax, so i have to disagree with u alot on this point....
There is a reason this state is also know as 'taxachusetts'... although ill take my decriminalized weed and gay people I guess. If we could just decriminalize fireworks n guns id be pretty content.
And yes we can loose the social services we waste money on, the governments job isn't to take care of the people.
I don't see how taxes and dog racing have anything to do with fundamentalism.
The revenue from the tracks is a miniscule part of the economic landscape, and gamblers will ALWAYS find a place to gamble. *cough Keno *cough And the state Lottery and gambling commissions are already top-heavy enough as it is. Losing greyhounds don't make money. They get put down. The rescue agencies can only handle so many. They do make good pets, people should adopt one if they really care about the continued existence of greyhound racing. Seriously, they're sweet animals. There's no reason to continue breeding excessive numbers of these dogs only for a racing career of 1-3 years when they have a lifespan over a decade. It's just wasteful.
Middle class not paying property tax? That statement is out of touch and shows that you have not spent very long in the work force yet. That's not a bad thing, but simply youthful. What do you consider to be a middle class household income for a family with no children? The lower to middle class who you speak of- the ones who don't pay property tax anyway- is not paying property tax because it cannot afford homes. Particularly in urban areas , such as yours, where property values are quite high and the land itself is 'built-out', meaning that new affordable housing cannot be constructed. I live in an area where the lower/middle working class actually can afford small homes, and do NOT believe that home ownership should be a privilege enjoyed by the wealthy, but by anyone with a work ethic and self discipline in fiscal matters.
Other states' tax rates- Other regions of the country do not really compare to MA because there are other variables to consider. Let's stay within New England for a demonstration. Here's a link to the New Hampshire tax rates town by town. Despite the lack of state income tax, there are still enough taxes to bring the average tax burden (by town) close to 20%. http://www.jacksonteamre.com/images/2007taxrates.pdf The money always comes from somewhere, even if the towns have to get it themselves. Their average personal property tax burden in 2007 was over 1,900 per capita, the thrid highest in the nation. And that is averaging in people who rent and therefore are not contributing to the real estate tax coffers. (source: taxfoundation.org).
Ah well.
Edit: The government's job IS to take care of the people. We can just lose the social services? Sounds like a statement of someone who has never been among the ranks of the working poor. The poor can just work harder and send their kids to private school since the public schools will have crappy funding? Let them eat cake, since they have no bread...
The revenue from the tracks is a miniscule part of the economic landscape, and gamblers will ALWAYS find a place to gamble. *cough Keno *cough And the state Lottery and gambling commissions are already top-heavy enough as it is. Losing greyhounds don't make money. They get put down. The rescue agencies can only handle so many. They do make good pets, people should adopt one if they really care about the continued existence of greyhound racing. Seriously, they're sweet animals. There's no reason to continue breeding excessive numbers of these dogs only for a racing career of 1-3 years when they have a lifespan over a decade. It's just wasteful.
Middle class not paying property tax? That statement is out of touch and shows that you have not spent very long in the work force yet. That's not a bad thing, but simply youthful. What do you consider to be a middle class household income for a family with no children? The lower to middle class who you speak of- the ones who don't pay property tax anyway- is not paying property tax because it cannot afford homes. Particularly in urban areas , such as yours, where property values are quite high and the land itself is 'built-out', meaning that new affordable housing cannot be constructed. I live in an area where the lower/middle working class actually can afford small homes, and do NOT believe that home ownership should be a privilege enjoyed by the wealthy, but by anyone with a work ethic and self discipline in fiscal matters.
Other states' tax rates- Other regions of the country do not really compare to MA because there are other variables to consider. Let's stay within New England for a demonstration. Here's a link to the New Hampshire tax rates town by town. Despite the lack of state income tax, there are still enough taxes to bring the average tax burden (by town) close to 20%. http://www.jacksonteamre.com/images/2007taxrates.pdf The money always comes from somewhere, even if the towns have to get it themselves. Their average personal property tax burden in 2007 was over 1,900 per capita, the thrid highest in the nation. And that is averaging in people who rent and therefore are not contributing to the real estate tax coffers. (source: taxfoundation.org).
Ah well.
Edit: The government's job IS to take care of the people. We can just lose the social services? Sounds like a statement of someone who has never been among the ranks of the working poor. The poor can just work harder and send their kids to private school since the public schools will have crappy funding? Let them eat cake, since they have no bread...
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Spend the next month writing your representatives and telling them EXACTLY how you feel the law should be worded.
I got a spam text from the MPP (I assume?) that reads:
Spark it for freedom!
Thanks Mass for ques 2!
Will do.
You're welcome
I got a spam text from the MPP (I assume?) that reads:
Spark it for freedom!
Thanks Mass for ques 2!
Will do.
You're welcome
Green Wizard
Member
Big day for the people of the United States. I hope it continues in this direction!
Green Wizard
Member
bentom187 said:
Lol, as opposed to what?
thekingofNY
Cannasseur
I read a great news article on question 2 yesterday quoting Duval.... even though he personally voted NO, he said "the people have voted", ...while he instructed some chic (head of something) to look into what needs to be done to implement it. The cops are trying to say they don't know what to do... Hello morons, i know for a FACT this state uses tickets where they can write in the amount/offense. "marijuana" and "$100".... if our elected officials can't get that correct, I think we need to do something about said officials. I think the city counsel said they had not heard of anyone trying to block it from passing. Let me go see if i can find the article.... since it really goes with this thread. I should also post results by town, good stuff.
Deft, the officials already know our stance on MJ, I hope u wrote for MMJ or legalization in general. I know this state wants to get there hands on more possible tax dollars, as long as u don't have to give a limb, pretty much anything else is okay. Hell if u tried to give a limb, they probably have some sort of tax on that.
edit sorry but my google skills fail me.... maybe someone else could find it... i coulda swore it was a boston.com or some sort of local news site... I want Duvals exact quote.
in other news i found this article from 2005:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8248127/
"A government survey found that 12.2 percent of people in Boston and 10.3 percent in Boulder, Colo., had used marijuana in the previous 30 days."
god damn hippies, thats almost one in 7
haha look at there map:
Deft, the officials already know our stance on MJ, I hope u wrote for MMJ or legalization in general. I know this state wants to get there hands on more possible tax dollars, as long as u don't have to give a limb, pretty much anything else is okay. Hell if u tried to give a limb, they probably have some sort of tax on that.
edit sorry but my google skills fail me.... maybe someone else could find it... i coulda swore it was a boston.com or some sort of local news site... I want Duvals exact quote.
in other news i found this article from 2005:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8248127/
"A government survey found that 12.2 percent of people in Boston and 10.3 percent in Boulder, Colo., had used marijuana in the previous 30 days."
god damn hippies, thats almost one in 7
haha look at there map:
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So people living in states dominated by mountain/wilderness areas, or very urban ... that's a COOL map.
I love the breakdown for Texas, lol.
I love the breakdown for Texas, lol.
HuffAndPuff
Active member
Stinky, King- Whattup guys?! Long time! Sorry for my recent absenteeism... My life has gotten incredibly busy, but in the best of ways. I recently got back from a trip to Europa and have been doing a lot of state-to-state commuting since I've been back. Unfortunately, this has left very little time for our beloved IC! Stinky, I haven't forgotten about our convo before I left, I still plan on following through.
Now, on to the topic at hand.... FUCK YEAH, TAXASSTWOSHITS! WOOT WOOT! As someone who frequently has to pass through the state, and does so with personal use amounts in his trunk, I am incredibly relieved/thrilled by this news. Think about this...
Had I been pulled over for ANYthing (tail light, brake light, etc.) an overzealous cop could have asked to search my car, on a fishing expedition. Let's not forget that the Mass Staties are NOT Boston PD. Obviously I'd say no and let's say he'd get a dog. The dog hits on my car, my car gets searched.
My car gets towed (say $200 for tow and 1 night storage), I get hauled in for a few hours, and have to post bond. (I know its $700 in a neighboring state). There will be a court date, lawyers fees (say $3,000 total) possibly fines (say $500) and say the cops liked my car.... Maybe they try to seize that. I'm not positive on MA, but I know that in a lot of states, if you're in a car, have cash, and any amount of drugs, cops can seize your car without ever bringing you up on charges. Even if they don't seize my car, and I'm found NOT guilty or they continue the charges without a finding (MA only), I'm still out $$$ for a lawyer, time off work for court, and still potentially face probation/drug testing. The whole process was a HUGE pain in the ass.
Now assume the same thing happens today. The cop finds the 1/4-1/2oz that I'll most likely have in my trunk, confiscates it, writes me a $100 ticket, and I'm back on my merry way... If I wasn't smoking when he nabbed me. How awesome, and just, is that?
RE: Decrim and income tax.... I'm not saying this will be a case for many people, but it was for me. In a state like NH, which has no income tax, there is THEORETICALLY the opportunity to keep more of what you make. Unfortunately, the state has draconian drug laws, AND makes up for the decreased state revenue by policing and fining the ever-loving shit out of the citizenry. You cannot put a price on personal freedoms, IMHO. So I peaced the fuck out of the land of "Live Free or Die" and moved to a land with decrim. I have been much happier and less paranoid ever since. Is that worth paying for? I think so. Just wait for the MASS exodus from NH!
One last thing..... Take a look at the map above, and compare it to a map of our politically Red/Blue states. (Texas being a notable rift)I'm just basing it on memory, and even though I'm no Cam Jansen, I am pretty sure that all the heavy-use states are blue states. One might also argue the "more intelligent" states. I'm just saying.....
Stay Safe, (easier now, in MA!)
HuffAndPuff
Now, on to the topic at hand.... FUCK YEAH, TAXASSTWOSHITS! WOOT WOOT! As someone who frequently has to pass through the state, and does so with personal use amounts in his trunk, I am incredibly relieved/thrilled by this news. Think about this...
Had I been pulled over for ANYthing (tail light, brake light, etc.) an overzealous cop could have asked to search my car, on a fishing expedition. Let's not forget that the Mass Staties are NOT Boston PD. Obviously I'd say no and let's say he'd get a dog. The dog hits on my car, my car gets searched.
My car gets towed (say $200 for tow and 1 night storage), I get hauled in for a few hours, and have to post bond. (I know its $700 in a neighboring state). There will be a court date, lawyers fees (say $3,000 total) possibly fines (say $500) and say the cops liked my car.... Maybe they try to seize that. I'm not positive on MA, but I know that in a lot of states, if you're in a car, have cash, and any amount of drugs, cops can seize your car without ever bringing you up on charges. Even if they don't seize my car, and I'm found NOT guilty or they continue the charges without a finding (MA only), I'm still out $$$ for a lawyer, time off work for court, and still potentially face probation/drug testing. The whole process was a HUGE pain in the ass.
Now assume the same thing happens today. The cop finds the 1/4-1/2oz that I'll most likely have in my trunk, confiscates it, writes me a $100 ticket, and I'm back on my merry way... If I wasn't smoking when he nabbed me. How awesome, and just, is that?
RE: Decrim and income tax.... I'm not saying this will be a case for many people, but it was for me. In a state like NH, which has no income tax, there is THEORETICALLY the opportunity to keep more of what you make. Unfortunately, the state has draconian drug laws, AND makes up for the decreased state revenue by policing and fining the ever-loving shit out of the citizenry. You cannot put a price on personal freedoms, IMHO. So I peaced the fuck out of the land of "Live Free or Die" and moved to a land with decrim. I have been much happier and less paranoid ever since. Is that worth paying for? I think so. Just wait for the MASS exodus from NH!
One last thing..... Take a look at the map above, and compare it to a map of our politically Red/Blue states. (Texas being a notable rift)I'm just basing it on memory, and even though I'm no Cam Jansen, I am pretty sure that all the heavy-use states are blue states. One might also argue the "more intelligent" states. I'm just saying.....
Stay Safe, (easier now, in MA!)
HuffAndPuff
Hey man! Right on. Especially with lots of young professional Massholes living in NH in apartments while they establish themselves in their career, before buying a house. It's quite common for renters to commute across the border. With decrim, plus the housing market getting lower, and people whose finances are and have been based on solid savings and not credit being able to afford houses at a younger age, I think that Exodus is coming.
thekingofNY
Cannasseur
http://www.mapinc.org/newsnorml/v08/n1005/a08.html
hehe Registry of Marijuana smokers....
Boston Globe said:
hehe Registry of Marijuana smokers....
Deft said:
so wat this basically means is that within thirty days the state law makers and the DA's will probably meet a bunch and talk about wats goin to hapen with this law over the coming years and hopefully they will decide that it will make them a considerable amount of dough so hopefully we wont habe anything to worry about thats wat a lawer friend told me
