[RIROCKHOUND]

God save us from people like me, huh?

OK.
So here is how I view it in 3min b/c thats what I have this morning to spend on this.

1. Caprio will raise taxes. Period. He can say whatever he wants about Chaffee's taxes, but he will raise taxes. I also don't trust him further than I can throw him. He epitomizes slimy Rhode Island politics

2. Robataille will likely continue the Carcieri trend of cutting money to the towns. Guess what, local property taxes go up. We will continue grid lock of getting nothing done good or (bad in this state).

3. Chaffee wants a 1% sales tax. I view this is the 'most' (in quotes) optional of the taxes. he seems to have a reasonable plan to try and get some jobs back in RI and working towards a balanced budget. I also think he has some integrity, which Caprio clearly does not. I want to see what someone who has a track record of voting for what they think is right instead of partly line. Is he a bit hokey and 'aww shucks' in front of a camera? yes. I could give a %$%$%$%$ about that. If I wanted a polished, slick candidate, it would be Caprio. as long as he can get the job done, thats fine w/ me.

Lets put this for-instance on it. My average grocery bill for me, the wife and kid is say ~$125/week. the 1% increase on the exempt item will add ~$1/week. Will we starve? No, we will buy a store brand vs. the brand name, or buy more items on sale. I'll make coffee at home instead of going out every morning. Gas, I'll drive less. When gas was 4.00/gal, I certainly thought about when to just go driving around, running errands etc. Would 1% on the monthly gas bill break us, again, no, but it might make me rethink a few ways to save a buck.

Did the 1% food tax make you stop eating out? It didn't stop me, but we eat out less than 1x per week. Does it suck seeing taxes always going up? yes, but it is short sighted to think that the other two candidates won't directly or indirectly increase taxes. How much did your property taxes go up last year? I know how much mine went up, and my town is not in the worst shape in the state. I bet the 1% sales tax is a lot less than the average increase in property taxes, especially b/c it is a pretty small amount.

"God save us from people like me"
Right, b/c you think what, I'm some silver spoon who votes one party blindly? That we don't scrimp and save? That I don't think about my vote long and hard or that I am not working class? nice try to to categorize me with a personal attack. Welcome to my ignore list. say hi to ScottW.