Our Board of Supervisors have been drunk on spending the last few years. They raised all taxes including an enormous increase on declining home values two years ago. Last night they met to vote on the budget. They have a shortfall of over two million due to exorbitant spending sprees in the last year. In this small community over two hundred citizens showed up to protest any tax increases. It worked. The real estate taxes will not go up this year, although personal property taxes will rise. Unfortunately most of the board members are Republicans. For two hundred people to show up at a board meeting here is unprecedented. Citizen outrage matters.This is what's going to bring about a more state-centered federal system, and California's going to be a leading laboratory on this question over the next month. We're going to have a huge debate over Proposition 1A, which is a ballot proposal to raise $12.5 billion for the state, which is supposed to be "a temporary two-year extension of an already-agreed-to two-year tax hike." George Skelton, at the Los Angeles Times, notes that some Assembly Republicans are pushing the measure, and then writes off popular anti-tax sentiment as hysteria: "Voter anger at the economy and disgust with dysfunctional Sacramento provide fertile ground for anti-tax demagoguery."
Yeah. Right. "Demagoguery." This measure's got the support of less that 4 in 10 Californians. According to the Public Policy Insitute:
About four in 10 support the measure (39% yes, 46% no, 15% undecided) to change the budget process by increasing the state “rainy day” fund. Less than half say the measure would be very (7%) or somewhat (38%) effective in helping California avoid future state budget deficits.The California budgetary process has been out of control for years, under both parties. Taxing more to "shrink" the government sounds almost like science fiction, but that's what being proposed.
For more information, see California Tax Revolt 2009.
Image Credit: Gay Patriot, "Reader Reports from Pasadena Tea Party."
4 comments:
It's simply amazing to me that the Rino Governator is even still in office. They removed Grey Davis for the same crap that Schwarzennoogy is pulling. People in California all need to be on Ritalin. Their attention spans are ...oh shiny!...(sorry), just that short.
Thanks Greywolfe!
First, George Skelton is a worthless tool and another reason we are sick of the Left Angeles Times. Mark it here first. The Left Angeles Times will endorse 1A to 1E and oppose 1F-that is the one that will nullify lawmaker's raises if they can not pass a budget on time. Californians have to vote NO on ALL the measures. What amazes me is hearing PRO Prop 1A ads on local CONSERVATIVE radio. But on point. If all the measures fail, these legislators are going to have to do REAL work and make more budget cuts and really reform the tax and budgetary structures here in the not so Golden State. It started here in 1978 with Prop 13 and will again here with the real robbery that Gov. Benedict Arnold, his GOP toadies and Democrat allies are trying to get US, the voter, to sign our own death warrant to any future economic growth and prosperity.
California must be one hell of a beautiful place. It has to be, otherwise so many people wouldn't be willing to put up with the political BS that goes on out there.
LOL-Every time I read a news story about some idiocy or other going on in that state, I am reminded of why I love living in Georgia.
We might not be the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, but at least most of our politicians (outside of Fulton and DeKalb counties) are partially sane.
And the BBQ around here is first rate. :-)
-Dave
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