Four little words

If you want to know why programs to end social ills or create social benefits never die, they only expand, just Google these four words, "dedicated revenue streams to" and then browse municipal, county, state and federal ways to keep a lot of people employed solving society's problems. Here's a few I found

• "The General Assembly has to think out of the box to come up with new and sustainable revenue streams." Democratic candidate addresses the Virginia state budget. The Republican suggested sacrifice and discipline.
  
  
• "Miami-Dade County Food and Beverage Tax: A Dedicated Revenue Source Invested for Results" [to end homelessness]
  
  
• . . . the General Fund would be placed under increasing stress in the next four years, making it hard to produce sufficient revenues to make up for the diversion of the two new dedicated revenue streams to transportation uses [New Jersey transportation proposals]
  
  
• Western Wyoming Community College Distict's Series 2007 Lease Revenue Bond SPUR Raised To 'A+' On Dedicated Revenue Streams
  
  
• The federal government could follow the example of enlightened states and municipalities that use dedicated revenue streams to fund arts and cultural programs. Some 40 communities nationwide dedicate a portion of hotel/motel taxes to arts and cultural programs, acknowledging that cultural activity attracts tourism.
  
  
• The VSO [Vermont Symphony Orchestra] must find new, permanent, and dedicated revenue streams to perpetuate this annual musical offering to the state’s most underserved regions.
  
  
• “As Colorado’s open spaces and agricultural lands continue to rapidly vanish, counties are searching for dedicated revenue streams to protect and preserve their valuable resources,” said Environment Colorado Land Use Associate Pam Kiely. “This legislation [sales tax increase] will provide an essential tool to tackle this problem.”
  
  
• "Americans purchase more than 30 billion single serving bottles a year—was used to create $3 billion-a-year revenue stream dedicated to a federal entity investing in the creation of clean water sources. A dedicated funding stream with a sound policy rationale to support investment ininfrastructure is not a new notion, just an underused one."
  
  
• [Robert] Moses leveraged tolls and other dedicated revenue streams to borrow money, and put shovels in the ground immediately even if all financing was not complete. He knew that once a project started it would be difficult to stop.
  
  
• As councilmember, I will establish one or more dedicated revenue streams to fund metro expansion. I will also seek funding from the federal government as well as our metro partners in Maryland and Virginia. [DC for Democracy, no party given, but he was pro-choice and pro-gay marriage]
  
  
• These proposals [tax on beverage and containers] could both increase dedicated revenue streams to preserve and promote City recycling and decrease the amount of waste to be transported through MTS sites.
  
  
• Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced legislation this week (HR 3032) that would create a new trust fund, supported by dedicated revenue streams, to fund an expanded federal water infrastructure effort. [$10 billion from taxes on soft drinks, pharmaceuticals, and other consumer products, as well as a 0.15 percent corporate tax on profits over $4 million.]
  
  
• Some states also create dedicated revenue sources to support out-of-school time initiatives. Dedicated revenue sources raise and/or direct public funds for a specifi c purpose. Mechanisms for generating dedicated revenue include special taxes, guaranteed expenditure minimums, fees and narrowly based taxes, income tax checkoffs, and children’s trust funds. Creating dedicated revenue sources can be diffi cult, but this funding can provide resources for out-of-school time programs throughout a state, including rural communities.

And so it goes. I don't know what they'll do if people actually stop drinking soft drinks or using throw away containers. Find a new tax I guess. One important "dedicated stream" is that which funds the various housing trusts which now exist in at least 40 states. The one in Ohio went from almost nothing to $56 million (FY 2008) in just 20 years. I think ours is based on transfer of real estate fees, but your state may be different. Transfer of wealth is not just for the federal government.