The other day I got an email, asking for money to help put this ad on TV. Before I say anything else, you'll need to check it out here. (Go ahead, I'll wait).
California Yacht Party
Well, did you watch it? If not, whatever I say next is going to make a hell of a lot more sense if you've actually watched the thing, so take a minute and check it out.
OK, so I assume you've watched it now. Got any idea what the hell it's trying to say? I know, because I read the email that came with the link to the ad. But do you? 'Cause, after I watched it the first time, I really wondered if anyone watching this cold would have any idea what the message was. (Yachts are bad? Republicans are into potlatch? Pretty people like to bathe in champagne?) Knowing, as I did, the point of the video going in, you would think I wouldn't have had to watch it twice to see if I could find the message. After that second viewing, I realized that the extent of that message was in the title card splashed at the end of the video: "Tax Free Yachts, Courtesy of the California Yacht Party."
In the email that accompanied the link above, they explained that, due to a tax loophole in California, yachts and private jets are not subject to sales tax. And that, during yet another major state budget crisis, as the Governator is looking for ways to cut spending on essential services, the California Republican Party is fighting to keep that loophole intact, so that yacht and private jet owners aren't faced with the specter of looming sales taxes.
I don't know if there are other taxes that yacht and private jet owners pay that they feel offset those sales taxes, and I really don't care. As I sit here paying sales tax on my car; paying sales tax on DVDs, books and other entertainment; paying sales tax on laundry detergent and paper towels and other essentials, I've gotta figure that, if you've got the money to pay hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for that yacht or private jet, you can damn well pony up the 8¼% sales tax that the rest of us are paying for our games and toys and entertainment. (But then I'm one of those tax and spend liberals, aren't I?)
Whatever the case, the problem here isn't with the message… it's with this godawful attempt at conveying that message. Watching that commercial doesn't tell me anything about this issue… doesn't give me any reason to care why yachts are tax free, or even to understand why this is an issue, outside of the obvious 'haves vs. have nots' BS that so typifies our current political 'discourse.'
But what more do you need, right? Show the rich flaunting their riches and you've got a built-in constituency, ready to beat down the doors in Sacramento to "set things right", even if they don't know what it is they're setting right.
It's funny. When I started this post, I intended complaining about how clueless the producers of this video were, since they were so incapable of conveying their message adequately. Now I'm just disgusted with them for knowing that they didn't need to worry about telling people why they should be upset… they knew they could just show examples of the wretched excess and depend on people to GET upset.
Politics disgusts me a lot lately, but never more so than in moments like this.
California Yacht Party
Well, did you watch it? If not, whatever I say next is going to make a hell of a lot more sense if you've actually watched the thing, so take a minute and check it out.
OK, so I assume you've watched it now. Got any idea what the hell it's trying to say? I know, because I read the email that came with the link to the ad. But do you? 'Cause, after I watched it the first time, I really wondered if anyone watching this cold would have any idea what the message was. (Yachts are bad? Republicans are into potlatch? Pretty people like to bathe in champagne?) Knowing, as I did, the point of the video going in, you would think I wouldn't have had to watch it twice to see if I could find the message. After that second viewing, I realized that the extent of that message was in the title card splashed at the end of the video: "Tax Free Yachts, Courtesy of the California Yacht Party."
In the email that accompanied the link above, they explained that, due to a tax loophole in California, yachts and private jets are not subject to sales tax. And that, during yet another major state budget crisis, as the Governator is looking for ways to cut spending on essential services, the California Republican Party is fighting to keep that loophole intact, so that yacht and private jet owners aren't faced with the specter of looming sales taxes.
I don't know if there are other taxes that yacht and private jet owners pay that they feel offset those sales taxes, and I really don't care. As I sit here paying sales tax on my car; paying sales tax on DVDs, books and other entertainment; paying sales tax on laundry detergent and paper towels and other essentials, I've gotta figure that, if you've got the money to pay hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for that yacht or private jet, you can damn well pony up the 8¼% sales tax that the rest of us are paying for our games and toys and entertainment. (But then I'm one of those tax and spend liberals, aren't I?)
Whatever the case, the problem here isn't with the message… it's with this godawful attempt at conveying that message. Watching that commercial doesn't tell me anything about this issue… doesn't give me any reason to care why yachts are tax free, or even to understand why this is an issue, outside of the obvious 'haves vs. have nots' BS that so typifies our current political 'discourse.'
But what more do you need, right? Show the rich flaunting their riches and you've got a built-in constituency, ready to beat down the doors in Sacramento to "set things right", even if they don't know what it is they're setting right.
It's funny. When I started this post, I intended complaining about how clueless the producers of this video were, since they were so incapable of conveying their message adequately. Now I'm just disgusted with them for knowing that they didn't need to worry about telling people why they should be upset… they knew they could just show examples of the wretched excess and depend on people to GET upset.
Politics disgusts me a lot lately, but never more so than in moments like this.
Comments
First, let me say that commercial is both hilarious and utter garbage. It communicates nothing...unless retarded excess is something.
Second, I suppose this IS politics at work. But, it's also economics.
So, speaking of economics, lets look at the issue. FACT: California is broke. Beyond broke. The legislation and the bureaucrats have fucked us. The 'tax and spend liberals' (you opened the gate!) have spent so fucking much on so much garbage that California (what are we, the 7th largest economy in the world?) is far and away the worst run economy in the country. Maybe the world. Without a complete rehaul of all governmental programs and an abolition of special interest groups like the teachers association, I'm not sure we can get out of this increasing black hole.
That said, the bureaucrats are trying to figure out how to sustain the life support (politics has, unfortunately, become all about short term solutions...where it should be the one thing that is about LONG term solutions). Their answer? TAXES!! Of course! They are going to attempt to tax the shit out of us in the next few months. They're discussing (in addition to the yacht tax) a SNACK tax (don't you know...snack foods are unhealthy! Tax 'em!), a porno tax (all porno!! Taxed! Must be billions to make there!), a gas guzzler tax, and more.
So...your question/theory is, "hey, why don't yacht owners pay taxes? I pay tax on everything!" My reply is...yeah, those dudes get off sweet. No sales tax AND they typically write off interest on the yacht as a second home. Nice loophole. However, the reality is, there are 5 or 6 states that don't charge sales tax on yachts. So, if California taxes yachts guess what happens? Yacht buyers (really all boat buyers) buy their boats somewhere else. Which kills the boating production in California, which further destroys our fragile economy. And, in this slumping economy, boat sales are already down like 30-40%.
So, it's a horrible idea to charge sales tax on yachts/boats in California. But, that doesn't excuse that 'commercial'.
Still bullshit, but it's unlikely anything that'll change in the future.