Friday, September 11, 2009

The senate passes another stupid bill that will hurt tourism

What are the scariest words in the English language? President Regan said they are we're from the federal government and we're here to help you. Well that's not true if you are a defense contractor or big oil as that is where the bulk of American welfare money is spent. They get LOTS of help from the federal government.

But if you are in a diversified industry like tourism that doesn't have the big bucks to pay off people in congress, then we are stuck with stupid laws that supposedly help our industry.

The latest is the Senate passing the Travel Promotion Act. Here congress sets up yet another bureaucracy to advertise vacationing in the US. Where everyone knows you normally get big paybacks from advertising tourism, our government proposes levying a tax on the people they are advertising too so they won't want to vacation here.

Now I know the senate is insulated from the real world, but you would think at least 1 or 2 senators might have a little common sense. You don't increase or create new taxes in a recession. That was learned in 1929 - DUH!!!

Here's the story:

"New Travel Promotion Act Aims to Boost U.S. Tourism

The Senate recently passed the Travel Promotion Act, a measure designed to promote the U.S. abroad...The Act stipulates that a new Corporation for Travel Promotion, funded by the government and private sector, will oversee those tasks.

Seems innocuous, even bland, doesn't it? But the devil is in the details in this case, specifically in the government's portion of the funding. This money would come from a $10 fee imposed on visitors from countries...The private sector will match each $10 fee paid.

Not surprisingly, the fee isn't sitting well with many in Europe, and the Daily Mail reports the E.U. is considering retaliation. "Only in 'Alice in Wonderland' could a penalty be seen as promoting the activity on which it is imposed," the European Commission's Ambassador to Washington, John Bruton, said Friday.

...But funding a program designed to attract foreign travelers by charging the very visitors it hopes to attract? That seems downright silly to me, especially if it leads individual European countries or, worse, the entire E.U., to impose fees on American travelers."

For the full story click here

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We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time. You don't even have to be a nudist to vacation with us.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

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Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

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