California's budget situation is simple to understand.  Revenue is less than spending.  Members of the Legislature will have to grapple with the culture of overspending so prevalent at the Capitol.  The Board of Equalization is tasked with collecting sales, use and property tax.  The Legislature isn't making this easy.

Sure, they love it when we act aggressively to find and collect tax dollars.  Sadly, they make it difficult for taxpayers to accumulate earnings to be taxed.  Our State's prosperity is tied to the prosperity of its people.  Nowhere in history has anyone ever been taxed into prosperity.

The United States Department of Labor just released their unemployment statistics.  California, once a leader in innovation; is now a leader in desperation.  According to the Bureau, eight areas, seven of which are located in California, recorded jobless rates of at least 10 percent.

The largest over-the-year decrease in employment occurred in Detroit-Warren- Livonia, Mich., followed by Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana.

Southern California accounted for the second and third worse decrease in unemployment in the nation.  It is this same region that the lion share of non- farm related jobs are located.

Increasing taxes will only serve to slow economic recovery.  How many small businesses will go under as a result of the additional burden of new taxes?

Instead, California needs to unleash its potential and reduce its tax burden which is already one of the highest in the nation.  This is the only way to revive our economy and get people back to work so they can pay taxes.