井底望天
談天說地 古往今來 曆史人文 天下大勢
前麵說到美國州政府破產的問題，其實比較麻煩，對美國普通人民的民生影響比較大的是市政府這一個層次。
先說說美國的社會結構，這樣不了解的人，就會比較明了一點。
在美國的州之下，存在著一級政府，叫做County，有人翻譯成縣。其實這個縣如果對應的是日本那個縣，還說得過去。但是對中國人來講，就會產生誤解。
其實美國的縣，比較類似於中國古代的州，或者是郡。通常是一個County下麵，有7-8個城市。也可以大致類比於中國的地區，然後下麵就是一堆縣級市那樣。
然後在縣下麵，就是城市。這兩級政府的主要稅收來源，一個是物產稅，一個是銷售稅。
因此當政府財政收入有問題的話，就是在這兩個稅上麵打主意。
物產稅，通常是學區資金的來源，就是說整個地區的公立學校，靠這些稅收來支撐。
但是這個稅收，有賴於地產市場良好。你要是房子不光不漲價，而且還有越來越多人斷供，那麽這個部分的收入，就會大受影響。
而銷售稅，比如說最近俺們這裏，就漲到了9.75%，而且還想漲0.50%，差不多是十分之一了。這個稅，依賴於大家消費，你經濟不好了，大家不肯花錢了，或者你稅上去了，為了保證自己的收入，不少收現金的商家，比如說餐館之類，就偷偷少報，也會影響到收入。
收入不夠，支出又很大，於是許多地方政府，考慮削減支出。
但是大家要知道，通常和大家生活有關的事情，是在這一級政府完成的。
比如說學校的好壞，警察治安，在街上收垃圾，醫療服務，消防車來救火等等，都是大家切身相關的事情。
在俄亥俄州的Ashtabula縣，麵臨的就是這樣一個情況。這個縣，本來有112名警察，先是第一輪削減到70名，然後第二輪削減到49名。
整個縣是1900平方公裏，現在隻有一輛警車。警察局說，俺們沒有巡警，街上是一個警察也看不到。俺們隻能對即刻發生的犯罪采取行動，你要是財物犯罪，那是沒得理了。
本來還有緝毒隊，有刑偵隊，現在都給撤了。隻有一個警員負責罪證處理，就是說你的家裏被人爆竊了，你的汽車被人偷走了，都沒有人可以處理。唯一的警員，就是幫你出一個報告證明，你可以拿出找保險公司索賠。
這個是很多城市都出現的問題，就是治安越來越差。
在去年3月，印第安納州著名的普度大學，由土木工程師們為各個城市開了一堂課程。這個課程的名字，就叫做“Back to the Stone Age”，神馬意思？就是“回到石器時代”。
那麽這個課程是教什麽的？很簡單，就是教大家如何把鋪好的，但是維修費用比較高，現在開始失修，到處都是坑的公路，給打成碎片，回到維修費用低的石頭路。
這個就是現在美國流行的基建工程維修方法。比如說密歇根州，已經把50英裏的柏油馬路，給基建成了碎石路。
發生在小城市的事情大家可能不關注，但是在俄亥俄州的辛辛那提市，已經開始縮減收垃圾和除雪服務。這一次美國東部到處大雪紛飛，搞得很狼狽，比如說紐約市，就是因為垃圾工人被大幅裁減的原因。
當然大家還記得，為了給紐約911事件後的救護人員賠償的官司，是花了很大一筆紐約市的城市預算的。其中還有過億的資金，是給大律師們拿去零花的。
在得克薩斯州的達拉斯市，公共地方，比如說公園裏麵的垃圾，政府已經不再處理。
另外的一些地方，比如說密歇根州的Flint市，88個消防員給解雇了23個，有兩個消防局給取消。
想一想吧，要是你家附近的兩個消防局都關門了，然後著火了，消防員要從比較遠的地方開車過來，這一耽擱，路上多用的10來分鍾，就是人命關天，就是巨大財產損失。
前麵一些城市，還是回到Stone Age， 有的城市就是回到Dark Age （中世紀黑暗時代）。比如華盛頓州的Shelton市更絕，整個城市有860盞街燈，現在是關掉了114個。晚上城市的街道上，黑咕隆冬，看你還敢不敢上街。
也有很多城市，就是停止的公交汽車服務，還有的就是關閉了圖書館。
受到打擊比較大的是學校，教師被解雇，學生要減少班級，搞大班製度。學校同時減少上課的天數。
據美國城市聯盟的報告，大概63%的城市，會大幅削減社會治安（削減警察），大概60%的城市，會大幅度削減社會服務（削減消防等等）。
不是說美國聯邦政府不知道這些城市的困境，在去年8月，奧巴馬政府給了260億美元，部分用於保住教師們的職位。但是這點錢，隻是堤壩上麵插一個指頭去防洪。
據專家們預計，現在的地方政府，還沒有完全明了金融危機帶來的房地產問題，對他們的財政的真正影響。因為這些地方政府，對物業稅的評估，是每三年一次，要到了2011年中期的時候，他們才知道問題的嚴重性。
另外一個要命的問題，就是美國的很多地方的基礎設施，已經到了崩潰的邊緣。
大家都記得2007年明尼蘇達州的一座大橋突然坍塌，導致了13個人死亡，145人受傷。根據美國土木工程師協會的估算，美國在基建上麵，光是高速公路和橋梁，就欠了1萬6千億美元的建設賬。美國的橋梁中間，有25%結構有問題，隨時會倒塌。
其實比這些更要命的，是美國的河堤。比如說俺們加州的不少河流，都是像黃河那樣的懸空河，靠堤壩那護住下麵的農田。
但是這些堤壩因為資金缺乏，年久失修，如果一旦碰到大風暴，堤壩一決口，就麻煩大了。因為這樣的結果，就會導致舊金山灣區的海水倒灌，那麽包括矽穀在內的七百多萬人口，就沒有淡水喝了。
不要以為這是危言聳聽。當初新奧爾良的堤壩，號稱可以抵禦五級颶風，結果在三級颶風的打擊下，就徹底悲劇了。
大家看到了這麽多的問題，都是因為沒有錢，尤其是地方政府沒有錢的緣故。但是又不能加稅，大家已經交了不少稅，不過大部分被聯邦政府拿去了。
然後聯邦政府，就把這些錢，拿去給華爾街發紅包和獎金了，還有拿到阿富汗和伊拉克去建設民主了。
於是人們開始問，幹嘛要交聯邦稅？
來自台灣的不會有誤解。比如桃園縣就管轄兩個市。縣比市大，中國古來都是這樣的，隻有到近代在大陸地區才發生一點變化。
Fed pays Social Security benefits. Fed pays Medicare expenses and half of Medicaid expenses. Fed pays part of highway construction expenses. Fed funds scientific researchs and a lot of high education, and more.
政府給華爾街的錢應該是借給華爾街的，是要還的，對不？盡管這錢是稅民的錢，但和作為政府支出所用的稅收還不等同吧。
至於這錢怎麽花，隻要借方／被借方沒有簽約，怎麽花都不違約（道德意念不在討論之中）
我這也是就事論事，挖個坑而已，嗬嗬
Obviously, you are not a long time follower to op, and it is kinda hard for a new comer to grasp op's sense of humor. What op was referring is the bailout money. And the banks or institutes that was bailed out by tax payers did not refrain themselves from giving out big bonus to their executives.
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)
The federal tax (income and biz) spending is listed on 1040. take a look at the chart, one would know where the money goes.
Amerian has a poor goverment and rich people while China in general has a rich goverment and poor people (majority)