Every Picture Tells a Story
Meet Michael J. Rodrigues.
Mr. Rodrigues is a state representative in Massachusetts, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, you know, the group of folks who help to create all kinds of new and exciting ways to tax the commoner class into submission on a near-daily basis.
Mr. Rodrigues was one of the many "progressive" legislators who voted a while back to lift, for the first time ever, the Commonwealth's sales tax exemption on in-store purchases of alcoholic beverages, bumping the sales tax rate from zero up to the newly raised rate of 6.25 percent.
That tax hike went into effect on August 1st of this year. At the time the tax hike was being debated (and I use that verb in the loosest of loose terms imaginable), there were quite a few people and small business owners speaking out in opposition saying that it would result in more businesses losing more money as more shoppers in Massachusetts took more of their spending money north of the border to New Hampshire.
These people were, of course, ignored entirely or simply dismissed as being paranoid and delusional. The legislators in Massachusetts assured the voters that this new tax was necessary to help fund substance abuse programs in the Commonwealth to the tune of $80 million or so (really, we promise!).
Surely, on one would want to see these people deprived of the resources they need to rehabilitate themselves to become productive members of society once again, right?
Right?
Wait...where was I?
Oh, yeah, Representative Rodrigues, whom you've now met.
Now, meet his front license plate.
Nothing too unusual there. Let me add some context.
A reader who shall remain nameless sent me this beautiful picture of Rep. Rodrigues car in the parking lot of the New Hampshire State Liquor Store on I-95 in Hampton.
No. Additional. Commentary. Required.
Here's the audio on this from Howie Carr's show today.
UPDATE: From the nameless photographer.
Natch.
Mr. Rodrigues is a state representative in Massachusetts, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, you know, the group of folks who help to create all kinds of new and exciting ways to tax the commoner class into submission on a near-daily basis.
Mr. Rodrigues was one of the many "progressive" legislators who voted a while back to lift, for the first time ever, the Commonwealth's sales tax exemption on in-store purchases of alcoholic beverages, bumping the sales tax rate from zero up to the newly raised rate of 6.25 percent.
That tax hike went into effect on August 1st of this year. At the time the tax hike was being debated (and I use that verb in the loosest of loose terms imaginable), there were quite a few people and small business owners speaking out in opposition saying that it would result in more businesses losing more money as more shoppers in Massachusetts took more of their spending money north of the border to New Hampshire.
These people were, of course, ignored entirely or simply dismissed as being paranoid and delusional. The legislators in Massachusetts assured the voters that this new tax was necessary to help fund substance abuse programs in the Commonwealth to the tune of $80 million or so (really, we promise!).
Surely, on one would want to see these people deprived of the resources they need to rehabilitate themselves to become productive members of society once again, right?
Right?
Wait...where was I?
Oh, yeah, Representative Rodrigues, whom you've now met.
Now, meet his front license plate.
Nothing too unusual there. Let me add some context.
A reader who shall remain nameless sent me this beautiful picture of Rep. Rodrigues car in the parking lot of the New Hampshire State Liquor Store on I-95 in Hampton.
No. Additional. Commentary. Required.
Here's the audio on this from Howie Carr's show today.
UPDATE: From the nameless photographer.
So the guy comes out with a couple of cases of booze in his carriage and loads them into his car. I asked him if this was "official" business or personal. He was surprised by my questioning and asked what business is it of mine as to what he's doing. I told him I was a Mass citizen. He said it was personal-I pointed out the state car with official plates and he said it was "his".
I didn't ask him WHY he was in NH purchasing alcohol instead of supporting Mass businesses and the 6.25% tax they just levied on us common folk...
He had his wife with him. I left ahead of him and as I was driving down 95 into Mass doing the speed limit, he blew by me doing about 75 in the left lane.
Natch.
