Claude Paquin's blog

Some bold tax suggestions for legislators

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:54:07 -0500

It is well known that the Constitution of the state of Georgia requires the legislature to adopt a balanced budget. A balanced budget is one where the projected revenues and the projected expenses are practically equal.

Would a frog vote for SPLOST?

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:33:01 -0400

Could Fayette voters ever be induced to vote for a 100 percent sales tax?

Sure, they could. Here’s how to do it.

Bringing science and fairness to traffic court

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:52:25 -0400

The week after The Citizen published my March 4 article about the practical difficulties involved in adjudicating traffic citations in our municipal courts, a Fayetteville citizen, Anne Copen, wrote about her own recent, and unhappy, experience in contesting a failure-to-stop citation.

Should you pay that traffic ticket or fight it?

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:04:48 -0500

Traffic infractions are criminal violations. To be convicted of a crime, a person must be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Protection of the law or from the law

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:30:13 -0500

To serve and to protect is the acknowledged mission of all the police departments who display it on their police cars. Frankly, it should be the mission of all the branches of government, including the judicial branch. Sadly for us in Georgia, consumer protection is a priority for neither our legislators nor, it seems, our judges.

A glimpse inside the sales tax sausage factory

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:15:12 -0500

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

PTC wants more sales tax, but from whom?

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:05:14 -0500

In the 11 educational articles I wrote for The Citizen in the weeks preceding the November school SPLOST vote in Fayette County, I pretty much explained how local sales tax is collected in Georgia. I certainly made it clear that the state of Georgia keeps 1 percent of our local sales tax and the merchants get another one-half of 1 percent.

Some advice for people with Medicare

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:28:33 -0500

Time marches on, and Fayette County continues to add to its population of people who reach age 65 and thus become enrolled in Medicare. These words of advice are for them, as they are now in the period of the year, Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, where they have to choose between all their Medicare options.

Saxby Chambliss accuses Jim Martin of what?

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:52:11 -0500

We can’t watch television these days without being bombarded with political ads in the U.S. Senate run-off race between Saxby Chambliss, the incumbent Republican, and Democrat Jim Martin.

One good way to decide on SPLOST

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:30:50 -0400

Here’s what I believe might be a smart way to decide whether to vote for or against increasing the sales tax to 7 percent to help out the Fayette County School System.

Using psychology to sell the education SPLOST to taxpayers

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:18:19 -0400

“I’m proud to pay taxes in America; the only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money."

— Arthur Godfrey, 1950s TV show host, 1903-83.

A look behind 2 pro-SPLOST arguments

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:34:29 -0400

The work of science is to substitute facts for appearances, and demonstrations for impressions.

— John Ruskin, English author and social critic, 1819-1900

SPLOST: The $115 million question

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:12:11 -0400

What will we be reading about SPLOST on the electronic tablet that serves as our ballot, on Nov. 4?

No, it won’t be “Who was the longest reigning British monarch?” That was the $1 million dollar question for state school superintendent Kathy Cox on the TV show Who’s Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? We get only three choices: Yes, no, or pass.

More SPLOST information has now vanished

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:37:30 -0400

The school board once wanted us to see the first PowerPoint presentation it prepared as justification for an extra 1 percent sales tax. Good students that we are, let’s continue the critical analysis we started last week.

SPLOST justifications the first time around

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:59:55 -0400

The front page of the school system’s website (www.fcboe.org) prominently displays a logo for citizens to click if they wish to see a presentation on SPLOST. That seems to be all the information readily available from the school system.