Losing Internet Tax Break – No Gift for Shoppers
For Californians, this week’s Cyber Monday online shopping fest marked the end of an era of cheap, sales-tax-free goods over the Internet. Come next September, online retailers like Amazon will start collecting sales tax on purchases made by California shoppers, bringing a gleam to the eye of both government officials anxious for more revenue, and […]
Think Long Council: Real Democracy is the Issue
The recent recommendation from the Think Long committee – a virtuous attempt to rectify California’s dysfunction – of an elite “Jedi” council (per Joe Mathews) really highlights the most glaring problem facing California – a lack of democracy. You thought the problem was runaway spending, regulation and taxes. No. Those are symptoms. They’re not the […]
A Part Time Legislature Will Fix State Government
With the start of the California Legislature’s 2012 budget year, I will introduce legislation that will move the state legislature to part-time status and save taxpayers money. The bill will be introduced when the Legislature reconvenes in January. I’ve spent a great deal of time researching the most effective ways to improve government efficiency and […]
The Problem with Iran
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (George Santayana, Life of Reason, Reason in Common Sense, Scribner’s, 1905, page 284) ———————- As we close in on the last month of a ‘What Can Happen Next’ year, Iran has bobbed like a cork in water to the center stage of our Media […]