What’s the Plan, Jerry?
In his first post primary press conference, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown told the press: "I am saying here and now for everyone to hear, including the legislators and the unions, that I am going to be an independent servant of this state, and I will do whatever it takes to get this budget aligned with the revenue."
What will it take to balance the budget? Unfortunately, the AG and former governor hasn’t told us that, yet?
Will spending be cut further on programs around the state? Will taxes be raised? I know, Brown doesn’t intend to raise taxes without a vote of the people, but that will not stop him from proposing tax measures to be put on the ballot. What kind of taxes is he thinking about? Taxes on upper income taxpayers? Or businesses?
How Many Ways Can You Say It? We Need More Growth
The California
economy is struggling to recover, so what are the top public policy
priorities of legislative Democrats and the regulatory bureaucracy?
- Increasing taxes by billions to maintain an unsustainable spending appetite.
- Raising the cost to hire new workers by mandating new employee leave benefits, restricting the use of credit checks and credit reports, criminalizing employment disputes, and increasing litigation expenses in employment cases.
It’s the Jobs, Stupid: Infrastructure Matters
Cross posted at NewGeography.com
It may surprise you to know that some policy makers and academics
believe that "nothing matters" when it comes to infrastructure — the
physical structures that make water, energy, broadband and
transportation work — and economic prosperity.
The thrust of the idea
that infrastructure doesn’t matter may have started with Larry Summers,
appointed by President Obama as Director of the National Economic
Council in 2009. The New York Times says he is "the only top economic
adviser with a West Wing office" – meaning he is very powerful in Washington terms.