SB 1021: The Slippery Slope of Property Classification for Tax Purposes
Beware the slippery slope leading to confusing tax policy if Senate Bill 1021 becomes law. As previously discussed on this site, SB 1021 would allow a form of property taxation for schools based on square footage of a parcel or the classification of property. To many, this measure is the first step in a campaign […]
Standing Against Discrimination Within Your Own Party
When I read something a politician said I sometimes raise an eyebrow, occasionally shake my head and infrequently yell out to no one in particular, “This person is crazy” (or if it is really out of line, a Chicago version of the above). But there are times a person from my party says something so […]
Why the State General Fund Is Mad at You
It’s time for you to stop picking on me, California. For most of the past dozen years, I was badly in deficit. I heard all the talk—about how my shortfalls were hurting children and poor people, about how I was unmanageable, and about how my inadequacies were compromising the future and raising the prospect of […]
Stop Favoring Investors, Speculators over Middle Class
I, like most members of the middle class, particularly in California, just paid a tax bill that seemed less like my fair share than a shakedown by the Mafia. Increasingly, for people who run small businesses or earn a decent income, the tax bite is becoming ever more like in Europe, with total bills in […]