California's Franchise Tax Board (Income Tax Collection Agency) Is Welcoming Suggestions From the Public on How to Improve!

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-12T16:57:16+00:00

Yes, you are totally right about this. A lot of people get their news from headlines and sound bites of publications that produce what they WANT to hear. This self-filtering/lack of real info has a lot to do with why our country is so divided, instead of coming together to fight the oligarchs like France has. Someone posted this on Reddit and it is right on the money: https://i.redd.it/c5t956aksa821.jpg

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-12T16:44:13+00:00

I think this is a great thing to suggest at this year's meeting. Make a note to yourself to submit this request in November. :)

I will also suggest it. I am so pissed off about the $1 BILLION train station that opened in San Francisco in September 2018 and was shut down 6 weeks later due to being structurally unsound. As of last week, they still hadn't finished assessing the cost to repair, nor have they come up with a time line for repairs. I want to designate my tax dollars to go to fixing pot holes, not to my politician's corrupt contractor friend's pocket.

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-12T16:33:17+00:00

And even if you do manage to escape the po-po and Pass Go, the Oligarchs still take your $200.

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-12T14:27:46+00:00

I would argue that the "thought police" and "tax man" are one and the same. The oligarchs have bought up all the big media outlets and they have bought off all the politicians. Oligarchs control the societal narrative, the laws being implemented, and where our tax dollars are being spent.

That said, I have caught California's "tax man", the Franchise Tax Board, doing an assortment of illegal things. Here is one that I have already posted about: https://saidit.net/s/politics/comments/6h2/californias_franchise_tax_board_income_tax/

Here is another one that I posted on Reddit a while ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/tax/comments/8xw9l6/systematic_erosion_of_california_taxpayer_rights/

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-09-03T23:55:54+00:00

Relevant: https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/06/10/on-authentic-spirituality/

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-02-12T04:34:03+00:00

I've read a few articles about this over the last year that are more in-depth. Tomorrow, I will try to dig them up and post links. This article really glosses over the biggest problems with leasing retail space: 1. Landlords are terrified of mom and pops and only want to lease to big chains and 2. the city has made retail use too narrow... and they've eliminated the kinds of uses that are the hottest growing markets these days. For example, new mini-marts can't sell alcohol and fitness centers aren't allowed on ground level street-facing storefronts... so there are a lot of businesses who just aren't allowed into these vacant buildings.

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-31T14:52:14+00:00

I never was one to drink much juice, but I did like sweet coffee. I started drinking my coffee black a few years ago -- not by choice, it was a health decision. Since then, though, my sweet tooth has been seriously curbed. Foods that I thought tasted yummy now are simply way too sweet for me. It is interesting how eliminating the sweet drinks changed my perspective on food so much.

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-31T14:46:02+00:00

This article misses an important point. It says that most Americans are in the meddle of the political spectrum, and that the political parties are both moving to extremes, leaving the average American unrepresented. The reality is that both party's platform is to prop up corporate America at the expense of the American people. We need a party that actually represents the interest of the people, not corporate America.

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-12T16:40:12+00:00

You mean the "fake news" that "reputable media outlets" have been peddling for years, like Iraq had WMD's and Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with 9-11? The only difference between now and then is that nowadays the internet offers public platforms to people who used to not have a way to spread the truth. The oligarchs no longer have total control of the narrative like they used to.

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-12T14:25:39+00:00

The majority of media outlets are owned by oligarchs. The stories published are ones that somehow reinforce the system that keeps the oligarchs in power. Independent media is branded as "fake news" because the oligarchs are trying to keep control of the narrative.

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-02T15:11:15+00:00

Traffic congestion and the fact that most people want to live (relatively) close to where they work are probably the biggest factors. Another is controlling the urban sprawl that is eating up our "natural" areas. Environmentalists say that people shouldn't be living in the places that are prone to natural forest fires or in deserts with fragile eco-systems.

CA_Taxpayer · 2019-01-02T03:07:25+00:00

Here in CA, there a couple factors causing the high price/small size: 1. It is very expensive to build these days, so high end luxury apartments are one of the few types of projects that have a margin big enough to be worth builders efforts. They simply aren't building anything at all for middle class, and subsidized low income projects aren't really happening, either, due to crazy bureaucracy issues. 2. There is a ton of pressure to increase density in urban areas, so obviously, smaller apartments = more density.

CA_Taxpayer · 2018-12-22T13:57:25+00:00

The FTB only collects tax money, they don't decide how to spend it. Spending decisions are made by the Governor and his appointees, and State Senators and Assemblyman. You can send them the small book. :)

The FTB is VERY AGGRESSIVE in their collection tactics, and they blatantly violate an assortment of laws in doing so. The FTB's Board of Directors thinks the FTB is doing a great job since no one ever complains about them at these Annual Meetings. I was hoping that I could get some disgruntled people to tell the Board Members what really happens at the FTB. I don't know if the Board Members care or not (I doubt it), but at least if people complain, they can't deny knowing serious problems exist.

CA_Taxpayer · 2018-12-15T15:03:40+00:00

Last year's and this year's Northern California fires were caused by Pacific Gas and Electric equipment failures. There is a conspiracy website that claims that the fires were deliberately set by PG&E in an effort to force people out of the outskirts and into the cities. The site claims this is part of a "grand plan" laid out by The Ruling Powers that be. www.stopthecrime.net/wp/

I feel obligated to say that I have not formed an opinion one way or another. At this point, I am looking at info and weighing merit.

CA_Taxpayer · 2018-11-07T15:33:08+00:00

Thank you for saying that about a balanced view! You have to pick your poison. I, personally would prefer bad customer service over not being able to call in sick when I'm sick. But there are a lot of these "two sides of the same coin issues" and in a society, some of the choices that society made you'll prefer and others you won't... that is why there is no such thing as a utopia. We're all different and have different preferences...

CA_Taxpayer · 2018-11-06T05:28:00+00:00

I have traveled a lot, and one of the things I've realized is there is no such thing as a utopia. No matter what system you set up, it carries problems. Often, the differing problems in countries are the flip sides of the same coin. For example, in Europe, there is a lot of job protection. No one will fire you if you call in sick or show up late. As such, you don't live in fear of being fired... and there are days when the post office opens an hour late because the workers were all late. And it is maddening when you have an important letter to mail and you have to waste an hour waiting for the employees to arrive! Things in America tend to run more smoothly because employees know if they fuck up, they'll be fired in a heartbeat. And employees live in fear of being fired and are terrified to call in sick when they have pneumonia.

CA_Taxpayer