Buzzing Calbuzz on Taxes
The guys over at Calbuzz (Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine) went
on a rant in support of raising taxes yesterday claiming the way to save
California is to tax the rich and tax businesses. Tax the rich because higher
income taxes really don’t cause people to move, they say; tax corporations
because they are greedy. Furthermore, they cheered Jerry Brown taking his case
to the people on tax extensions, advising him to conduct a populist campaign
like he did when running for president in 1992.
Well, I’ll agree with them on one point: Brown should
campaign like he did in 1992 — and advocate for a flat tax like he did then. More
on that in a moment.
Taxing the rich will not be the savior of California’s
fiscal mess. People do change their behavior in response to tax increases,
especially the rich. Relying on a higher income tax will make the California’s
volatile tax system worse.
Californians continue to support Federal Health Reform
A new Field Poll on federal health reform has found that Californians support the law by almost exactly the same margin as they did on the day it passed more than a year ago: 52 to 37. Despite a vigorous debate before and after the bill’s passage, a federal election that centered on the issue, and two federal court ruling finding parts of the law unconstitutional, public opinion here is pretty much frozen in place.
One big reason for that is that peoples’ opinion about the law seem to have as much to do with who they are than what the law would do. Democrats and ethnic minorities – both more numerous in California than elsewhere – support the law in large numbers. Republicans oppose it.
It probably is not a surprise that people who say they have benefitted from the parts of the law that have already been implemented like the law the most. But strangely, those who say they have benefitted are more likely to be Democrats than Republicans.
It’s April and the pork is on the grill
Recession? Check. Record state budget deficit? Check. More spending on favored special interests? Unchecked!
Like water rising to its own level, legislative Democrats find a way to spend money on new programs. Even as the budget deficit tops $15 billion, the Legislature passed SB 1 in the first special session, which appropriates $8 million a year in utility ratepayer charges to provide career education subsidies for “clean technology and renewable energy job training” programs. The money would be used by schools to set up Partnership Academies to train prospective workers in, among other occupations, energy audits, retrofitting and weatherization activities, and installing energy-efficient household appliances, windows, doors, insulation, lighting and water and energy conservation technologies.
It’s Time For Republicans To Speak Out
It is not often enough in politics that the two major political parties provide voters with a clear contrast. This year, the California Republican Party and Democrats will do just that. Democrat Jerry Brown is set to make his case that Californians should pay more taxes while refusing to cut back on the bureaucracy. California Republicans know that the tax-and-spend policies that caused our current problems will not solve them – and it is time for us to speak out about it.
California Democrats have dominated the California legislature for the better part of two decades. Even with a Republican governor, that one-party dominance has led to a more than doubling of our state government. Most fair-minded observers agree that California would benefit from a more balanced legislature.
The first step in achieving that balance within the Capitol will be for Republicans to provide more balance to the statewide discussions outside the Capitol. For far too long, Democrats have dominated the California airways. The new California Republican Party, in partnership with our Republican leaders and legislators, is set to reverse that dominance and go toe-to-toe with Democrats all over the state.