The Tax Commission’s Goal: Plucking the Goose
The governor is serious about tax reform. This is legacy stuff. The call for a special session to deal with the recommendations from the Commission on the 21st Century Economy indicates how important this matter is to him.
Given the wide ranging changes to the tax system that could – emphasize could – come from the commission, it is probably a smart move to dedicate a special session to discuss the tax proposals.
One wonders if the legislature, or the commission for that matter, has enough information to calculate the outcomes of the more complex tax proposals or combination of proposals.
For business people and the general taxpayer, the simple question that will be asked is: How do these tax changes affect me?
Selling Healthcare to the Silent Majority
Healthcare Reform. For the last three months, this one phrase has all but shut down Washington, DC, and now, with Congress in recess, will undoubtedly overwhelm most, if not all public appearances by members of Congress when they return to their districts.
Already, examples abound about constituents loudly voicing serious concerns regarding the prospect of a big-government healthcare solution driven by progressives in Congress. Turncoat Senator Arlen Specter’s (D-PA) town hall was disrupted with complaints about reform, as was an in-district meeting by Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett. Expect more of the same to occur in towns and cities across America.
The reason for this “disruption” is simple: the American people are finally focusing on this huge topic…and what they hear about proposed reforms – i.e., more money out of their pockets, possible healthcare rationing, disruption of the patient-doctor relationship and a government-run program – confuses and scares them. The American public’s concerns are simple – how will “reform” impact me, my family and my future? The politicians’ solutions are complicated. Does the average American really relate to the prospect of “bending the healthcare curve?”
A Chance to Say Yes – The GOP and Obama Can Agree on School Reform
Many issues have created a “politics as usual” atmosphere on Capitol Hill recently, but when it comes to educating our children, it appears President Obama and the Republican Party share some views. This commonality of interest provides the president and the GOP a rare opportunity to cooperate on a major issue.
In a March address on education, the president proposed several reforms, three of which the Republican Party has been championing for years.
First, he called for merit pay for teachers:
“Good teachers will be rewarded with more money for improved student achievement, and asked to accept more responsibilities for lifting up their schools.”
Private Attorneys Gone Wild
I know this sounds like a bad movie coming out of Cancun, but it is not. It is right in our own backyard. In an article titled, "Private Lawyers Cost State Millions," the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Attorney General’s Office is so understaffed that the state is having to outsource legal costs totaling more than $24 million.
They do this by signing contracts with private lawyers because the Attorney General’s Office is too shorthanded to take the jobs. This tab that has been racked up goes back to January 2008 and much of it lies with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Some of these private lawyers even command hourly rates that reach $450 an hour, which in some instances is nearly double that of in house lawyers.