Seattle has struggled with their run game since Shaun Alexander's explosive 2004 and 2005 seasons. After which he slipped into fantasy oblivion and the team cut him after the 2007 season. His final two years in the Pacific Northwest were fantasy forgettable. In fact, the Seahawks run game has been so sad, they haven't ended in the top half of the league in points scored since Alexander's 2005 campaign.
The Seahawks went out and grabbed Julius Jones from the Dallas Cowboys, and backed him with Edgerrin James. Neither did anything worthy of note. Jones has been a bigger disappointment for the Seasquabs than he was in Texas. He averaged 44th place fantasy finishes in his two seasons with the team. At this point he's still on the roster, but he could get cut before the 2010 season gets under way.
Robinson, 30, saw his NFL career shortened by suspensions for substance-abuse Aaron Curry violations. That may explain his financial troubles, too.
The former Wolfpack star may have the most new Seattle Seahawks jerseys recognized name on the N.C. Department of Revenue's lineup, but he has plenty of company -- a half-million fellow delinquent taxpayers, individual and corporate. The total owed is $841 million, a 67 percent increase over the $505 million overdue in 2009.
That points to outrageous irresponsibility and negligence by those who have failed to square Deion Branch their tax bills. But the state also has dropped the ball. This amount of money exceeds the deficit before Gov. Bev Perdue and the legislature made painful adjustments to the state's budget this year. Higher collections could have averted cuts to education and other important programs.
Yet, as The Charlotte Observer reported Monday, the Department of Revenue has 17 Matt Hasselbeck vacancies in its collection division. With bank layoffs in the thousands across the state, can it be so difficult to hire 17 people for these positions? With just a little success, tax collectors will pay their own salaries.
The department explains the jump in money owed, in part, to its improved ability to identify people who fail to file tax returns. That sounds like Tax Collection 101.Still, some of its information may be suspect. For example, it lists Greensboro's top tax debtor -- owing $148,167 -- as living on "Finely Street." There's no such place. The department probably means Finley Street, but if it wants to nail a taxpayer, it ought to at least get the address right.
Revenue officials say about $112 million of the missing money is uncollectible. The debtors can't be found, or companies are out of business, or there are no assets to squeeze. In other cases, however, the department has secured agreements to pay or is garnishing wages.
Conscientious, law-abiding taxpayers should hope state officials don't offer overly generous deals to long-time delinquents. People who pay in full and on time deserve adequate state services in return. But when others don't contribute their fair share, everyone has to carry the burden of budget cuts or, worse, higher tax rates to fill the gap. That's frustrating, and it's detrimental for the state. The impact even harms local governments, which receive less in state appropriations as Raleigh's revenues lag.
没有评论:
发表评论