I read with interest John
Seiler’s column last week in CalWatchDog.org in which he described the
plans of the California Federation of Teachers to raise taxes – many taxes:
higher income taxes on the rich; oil severance taxes; business property taxes;
taxes on services. Seiler was quoting from an article written by Marty
Hittelman, president of the CFT.
What particularly caught my attention was Hittelman’s
comment from the magazine article that passing Proposition 25 for a majority
vote budget last year was only a first step. The goal is to lower the two-thirds
vote for taxes.
I debated Hittelman a number of times on Prop 25 when it was
on the ballot. I pointed out Prop 25’s flaws, that it opened up the possibility
to new taxes and that the ultimate goal was to get at the two-thirds vote on
taxes. Hittelman denied this.
It didn’t take too long for him to write that the two-thirds
has to be removed, which, of course, was the ultimate goal of the Prop 25
sponsors from the get-go whether they denied it or not.
So, now we are in a place where CFT is advocating for a slew
of tax increases with polling and focus group action running full steam ahead
in preparation for some 2012 tax increase initiatives.
But, while CFT claims that their polling shows strong
support for tax increases, there is also overwhelming support from voters in
polls for spending limits, pension reform and other financially responsible
measures to finally put California’s fiscal house in order.
In fact, polls indicate a stronger preference from the
voters for the fiscal reforms. That was made clear when the public employee
unions changed strategy in mid=stream and decided that calling for a vote of
the people on taxes wasn’t the best idea after all and the legislature should
simply vote in the tax increases.
With the bold proposals Hittelman outlines to tax California
to death, there are many on the other side of the debate who have come to the
conclusion that what Governor Jerry Brown calls a "war of all against all"
should go forward. Let the voters settle the Sacramento harangue.
Governor Brown wants to avoid such a ballot battle but it
appears the passionate advocates on both sides of the tax debate feel the
voters are in their corner, are not willing to back down, and are ready to test
their support at the ballot box.