The article incorrectly assumes that higher taxes equals higher revenues. The Laffer curve doesn’t exist for Democrats.
This is an overspending problem, not an under-taxation problem.
We’re having the same issues on the local level down here on the south end. The firefighter’s union is demanding that the city hire nine new employees even though both the population and the call volume have dropped close to ten percent. We’ve been having a five month fight with them, and they’ve managed to elect their bought-and-paid-for candidate to our City Council.
On the state level, we have that wonderful “progressive” initiative that mandates an increase in education costs each year regardless of the state’s ability to pay. That’s not exactly helpful.
The State also needs to address the reasons why companies are moving out of the State. The State also needs to address illegal immigrants and their support and drain on the States economy, hospitals, schools, businesses and crime in our cities.
Republican legislators' feckless intransigence on tax increases combined with their refusal to offer up their own list of spending cuts irresponsibly places the state at risk of financial collapse. ..
While it was not perfect, the Democratic proposal defeated last week was a reasonable start that could serve as the starting point for negotiations. It would address $17 billion of the problem with $8.1 billion in tax increases, $8.1 billion in budget cuts and about $800 million in other solutions, such as fund transfers.
How odd that the editor refers to the Republican intransigence on tax increases as "feckless" but like a sophomoric redistributionist true believer somehow thinks that 8.1 B in tax increases would yield 8.1 billion in tax revenue.
Also, if there is any "fecklessness" in the GOP, it will be when they ... ahem... reach across the aisle and surrender, as they always do.
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Next, I would turn all illegals in prisons over to the federal government. Illegals are a federal problem, not a state problem. I would announce that any illegal caught on the street would be immediately turned over to the Feds. I would deny illegals access to all state benefits and programs.
Then I would sell off-shore oil and gas permits to the energy companies, get rid of the boutique fuels and tell the CA Air Board or whatever its called and the envirowackos to take a hike and start building nuke plants.
Then I would take a hard look at the budget. I would hire an outside consulting firm to see what state departments can be consolidated or eliminated, what positions should be eliminated. I would also introduce a part-time legislature and all Governors should be term-limited to six years.
The “easy” but cowardly solution is to cut programs for the disabled and elderly. I sit on a committee for aging in the County and what this will do is force many poor elderly out of their homes and into nursing homes at the public’s expense.
Another favorite target is poor rural Counties. If you bankrupt a General Law County, the state will end up holding the bag.
We need to look at our regulatory situation. Regulations, particularly endangered species, land, air and water, are so stringent that businesses are moving out of the state in droves. It costs hundreds of times more and takes many months more time to get a permit to log in California than it does in “Green” Oregon.
We create enormous bureaucracies, such as the regional water boards, and march out a steady stream of land use policies such as Total Maximum Daily Loads, and Riparian and Wetlands policies and sediment policies. This requires the hiring of dozens of new staff to enforce. Let’s start cutting there.
Look at the Gov.’s Global Warming Initiative. Do we need to rip out every diesel engine and retrofit or replace it? Do we need to implement regional “smart growth” policies oin land use? Do we really need to choke our citizenry in so much expensive red tape and build these gigantic permit systems and bureaucracies?
Increasing the sales tax is business death to border counties. Oregon pays NO sales tax. How many people are going to shop in California if they are anywhere near another state’s border?
HOW TO SAVE $BILLIONS:
1. Cut out ALL native-language subject teaching, and require mandatory English-only instruction for all subjects (EXCEPT foreign languages).
2. Fire ALL the teachers that had been engaged in this wasteful practice, and immediately begin full-day English language immersion classes for all students that are below grade level in English. All such classes should include basic civics and AMERICAN government subject matter.
Strange. Nearly 20 posts and no mention of the “RINO” governor. Every other CA thread blames nearly all of the states problems on “Arnold the RINO”. Its not just that California is 60/40 dem, its that the dems in CA are hardcore leftists. I for one would be thankful Arnold had the star power to get elected and at least try to hold the checkbook out of reach of these spend crazy socialists. But for some here, anything short of Tom McClintock and Duncan Hunter is a pure RINO.
Sorry, but I'm not interested in paying higher taxes to fund more government jobs. I'm having a hard enough time as it is. They can go to hell.
2. Privatize two prisons. Rinse and repeat. Long term save 2-4 billion per year.
3. Eliminate the boards every republican governor said they would eliminate.
4. Vouchers $9,000 per student. Save $3,000 per student, save a fe billion.
5. Eliminate the state capital gain tax.
6. For my second year.............. income tax cut 7. Constitutional amendment for 6 month legislative session every other year.
Weasel words. The author of this drek certainly understands the need to translate from politician to human. Do "cuts" = "reduction in increases", or do "cuts" = "less actual dollars this year than last year"? Without a definitive answer to that question, the author's whole whine is meaningless.
The real problem is that Arnie and the Democrat Congress spent every penny and then some.
LOL... Now Arnie want to give tax breaks to his mega wealthy buddies in Hollywood.