Campaign urges: When you get your stimulus check, spend it in Portsmouth!

Please spend your stimulus money in Portsmouth. Lets make sure that the local crackheads, homeless, and people on welfare keep getting their checks so they can spend their own cash on crack, beer, and cigarettes. After all that's what taxes are for.

Here's another way to economically stimulate Portsmouth's economy. On Tuesday 6 May 2008, tell all Portsmouth INCUMBENT elected officials that "economic & political mismanagement as usual" attitude will not be tolerated by voting for ANY CANDIDATE EXCEPT the INCUMBENT Mayor, City Council, and School Board members.

By voting for these incumbent officials, you (the taxpayer) are pretty much allowing these individuals to continue to mismanage YOUR city budget monies, increase YOUR housing assessments beyond actual market prices, and avoid funding economic/education infrastructure projects that are desperately needed to help revive city residential areas (e.g. Craddock, Midtown, etc.) that YOU reside/live at.

However, voting for new candidates will tell all Portsmouth City Council and its residents that we care about our city's economic and political affairs. It will also informs all current City Council and School Board officials that they must be FISCALLY responsible or their elected jobs are at risk too!

So on Tuesday 6 May 2008 - vote for CHANGE by picking anyone except the INCUMBENT(S). Check out Virginia State Board of Elections (SBE) webpage for list of candidates

This check isn't a joke at least in my house - it will help pay a few bills and will be extra money for my family to enjoy a nice vacation later in the summer. I figure if it helps pay rent, car payments and buy clothes and put food on the table how in the heck can it be a joke.

You see, the city is offering FREE video spots on Channel 48, featuring city employees at the advertised property, in exchange for encouragements (discounts) for those city employees...

For example - 15% off meals for city employees - they'll shoot video at your place, and for a mere $40, they'll publish your "camera-ready" ad in an internal publication, with a distribution of over 2500 copies. But the only way the business gets this coverage, is to offer an "economic stimulus" to city employees.

This program is somewhere between extortion and bribery.

No money will be spent in Portsmouth. Enjoy the money you received from a ticket I didn't deserve. Even your judge said I did nothing wrong but still fined me. He said people like me make him late for work. Weird.

To those supporting the "Fair Tax," I agree.
Personally, it is my pleasure to spend money in Portsmouth.
But, in reality, it would be more prudent to save it to pay taxes.
(sigh)

Anyone with 1/2 a brain knows the stimulus check is a joke, and in this wavering uncertain economy if that 1/2 brain is working, they should hopefully know that they probably ought to hold onto that check, for that just in case time, which is coming, versus spending it on some cheap overpriced junk from China-Mart. But then the government is counting on those whose brains function on the lowest common denominator to blow the money on worthless stuff they don't really need. It's the american way!

HOUSES OF WORSHIP can't be taxed. Government property can't be taxed. Portsmouth has loads of both. That leaves businesses & personal property,(real estate), as taxable. The only way Portsmouth can render services to it's populace, is through taxation. Less taxes paid, less services rendered.

....how much this "campaign" is costing in advertising? I've already resigned myself to the fact that ANY amount I get is going to be spent in Portsmouth- on my over-inflated taxes!

Ken Chandler and the cities marketing department should all be replaced with competant management and leaders creative enough to come up with a marketing plan that has more intelligence than this! Great idea Mr. Chandler. This means go and spend your tax refund at our local Walmart instead of the one in Chesapeake! Clueless!

Why not save it? The check is a joke anyways. It's supposed to "save" housing market. The leaders don't get it -- propping up the unrealistic prices on housing isn't the answer, letting them fall is.

it's a slap in the face to ask Portsmouth employees to spend their checks in Portsmouth not knowing if they will have a job come July. That's ok Council Members...elections are May 6th. Tell us again why all that money was spent on the traffic circle downtown???? Oh yes, and the $100,000 you plan to spend to pay consultants to tell you what jobs to disolve. Not to mention the condos and shops to fill the space of the Holiday Inn. No wonder other cities make fun of Portsmouth, we have clowns running it.

The only thing most residents will be able to do with that stimulus check will be to pay the HIGHEST real estate and personal property taxes in the Virginia. Portsmouth has liquor stores, fast food, and a City Manager (new) who is falling in line with at least two of the last city managers. He does not know the difference between a budget and a spending plan. You see, when I budget, I know how much liquor and fast food I will not be able to buy in Portsmouth, to pay my real estate taxes. Mr Chandler on the other had refers to budgets improperly. He only knows what a spending plan is. Tax the citizens to death or near it and if you dont have enough money, then tax them some more. By the way, your paltry proposed rate reduction of 5 cents still leaves your citizens paying more that almost all of the rest of Virginias citizens. So yes I will be spending my stimilus check in Portsmouth, on my real estate taxes!

This is a good idea. I figured people would just spend the money on stuff made in China. (I am not sure how that would stimulate our economy). The fair tax is definitely the answer, we need to get those corporations to bring back jobs to the U.S.. This is why I have Cox internet because that local phone company's internet helpline is somewhere in Elbonia and it is hard to get anyone to help that speaks English. People, if you don't know about the fair tax, get educated and jump on board!

Portsmouth does have some some wonderful retail, and I am happy to spend my money in Portsmouth. What I dont understand is why a city campaign would encourage its emloyees to spend their tax check, when there is a real possibility that 205 employees could receive their pink slip.

Dont you think that is a slap in the face?

I guess I could spend my stimulus payment to get some decent streetlights in my Shea Terrace neighborhood and get the city's tree in front of my house trimmed of dead branches because the city will not do anything about these items.

Portsmouth? For God's Sake why? That's the end of the world in Hampton Roads....Nobody goes to Portsmouth. Even the residents go elsewhere. Portsmouth?

... taking financial advice from City O' P is not so wise (what with the well documented track record).
Better advice: save, spend less than you make, save, use a budget, save, shop for "value" not just cheapest, save

Hey Kenneth Chandler & Betty Burrell, if you want to stimulate your economy cut your Govt. waste and taxes. Stop spending tax payer money on people here illegally ie jails, schools & welfare!!!Last........ Get behind the "The Fairtax"

We spend our stimulus money, then get laid off anyway...