Rumors of a budget deal are one thing. But the vast majority of the Republicans in the Legislature have no desire to be participants in the assisted economic suicide of California. New figures on California’s tax burden are out from the Tax Foundation; California’s tax burden is now up to sixth highest in the nation. Republicans know that they were not elected to move California down the road to higher taxes and more burdensome regulations coupled with an abject failure to address waste and fraud.
In a prior budget battle, a handful of Republican legislators signed off on a Gray Davis budget and were rewarded with severe electoral retaliation. (Think Johannessen, Briggs, etc.) But this year, all but a handful of GOP legislators believe – and rightfully so – that a tax increase will solve absolutely nothing and, in both the short and long term, inflict irreparable damage to the Golden State.
We’d be surprised to see a budget this week or even next, for that matter.