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Backers plan ad blitz for new oil driller tax -Prop 87 sides each have more than $26 million...
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | August 7, 2006 | John Wildermuth

Posted on 08/07/2006 12:57:45 PM PDT by calcowgirl

Backers of a measure that would hit energy companies drilling in California with $4 billion in new taxes planned to start running a hard-hitting TV ad across the state today urging voters to "make oil companies pay.''

There's nothing subtle about the new ad, said Paul Begala, a consultant for Proposition 87.

"We're not shy; our most important goal is to get California off its dependence on oil,'' said Begala, a former Clinton White House aide and CNN television commentator. "If you want support, you have to build support.''

Prop. 87 would tax companies for oil pumped in California, based on the price per barrel. The tax would stay in effect until it raised $4 billion, which would be spent on programs and research designed to cut the use of petroleum in California by 25 percent by 2017. It also would bar oil companies from raising gas prices to cover the cost of the tax.

(snip)

Los Angeles producer Stephen Bing, who has given millions to Democratic causes, put $1 million into the campaign and John Doerr of Woodside, another Democratic donor and a prominent venture capitalist, loaned the campaign $950,000. Lawrence Page, president of products for Google, gave $1 million; Vinod Khosla, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, gave $1.1 million.

Other notable contributions in support of the measure include $500,000 from Robert Fisher, chairman of the Gap, and $100,000 from William Hearst, a venture capitalist who also serves as a director of the Hearst Corp., which owns The Chronicle.

Some of the donors have close financial links to the type of "green tech'' companies that could benefit from the $4 billion in tax money if Prop. 87 passes. ...

There's nothing wrong with donors seeing a potential profit from Prop. 87, said Begala.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: calinitiatives; election2006; energy; hearst; johndoerr; kleinerperkins; lawrencepage; paulbegala; prop87; robertfisher; stephenbing; taxes; vinodkhosla
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1 posted on 08/07/2006 12:57:49 PM PDT by calcowgirl
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To: calcowgirl
"There's nothing wrong with donors seeing a potential profit from Prop. 87, said Begala"

Right, but don't allow the oil companies to make a profit? What a surprise.....

2 posted on 08/07/2006 1:00:23 PM PDT by traditional1
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To: traditional1

Do these California asswipes plan on riding bicycles to work? Any tax they oput on oil companies will be put right back on them when they buy gas. Where does the stupidity end out there.


3 posted on 08/07/2006 1:02:05 PM PDT by sgtbono2002 (The fourth estate is a fifth column.)
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To: calcowgirl

socialist idiots.


4 posted on 08/07/2006 1:02:12 PM PDT by Proud_USA_Republican (We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good. - Hillary Clinton)
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To: calcowgirl
Maybe tax-poor Louisiana & Mississippi can add a surcharge to fuel it sends to Kalifornia?

Texas could append a "Remember Enron" tariff on fuel to Kalifornia.

5 posted on 08/07/2006 1:02:21 PM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: calcowgirl
Don't ever get the impression "The Forehead" is a Texan!

Begala was born in New Jersey and raised in Missouri City, Texas.

6 posted on 08/07/2006 1:04:29 PM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: calcowgirl
I have not heard one Big Media pundit ask a liberal why they are upset about high fuel cost when their whole life is spent doing the exact things that bring about high fuel cost in the first place..
7 posted on 08/07/2006 1:08:37 PM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: calcowgirl

I'll vote for this when they slap a tax on the Hollywierd liberals for driving limousines and taking private jets, having homes bigger than 3,000 sq. ft., and basically wasting the natural resources they claim to care so much about.


8 posted on 08/07/2006 1:09:42 PM PDT by Right Cal Gal (Conservatives know the names of Tookie's VICTIMS!!)
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To: sgtbono2002
That's the whole point=raise prices, the taxes cause tax revenues to rise, the customer pays more and more....the buffoons who vote for this stuff think they will FORCE solar vehicles, etc. to somehow fall from the sky....

It's just a matter of time 'til one of these idiots proposes to harness Algore's "global warming" to power their cars, and thus, it will appear on the California ballot SOMEWHERE.

The solution to EVERYTHING is always a TAX............

9 posted on 08/07/2006 1:09:42 PM PDT by traditional1
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To: TexasCajun
"Begala was born in New Jersey and raised in Missouri City, Texas."

He may have been "raised", but he has never grown up....

10 posted on 08/07/2006 1:10:52 PM PDT by traditional1
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Mentioned in article:
SUPPORTING Prop 87 OPPOSING Prop 87

11 posted on 08/07/2006 1:11:32 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: calcowgirl
It also would bar oil companies from raising gas prices to cover the cost of the tax.

In reality this is called a fine. How communist but for Kali just another day.

12 posted on 08/07/2006 1:11:49 PM PDT by beltfed308 (Nanny Statists are Ameba's.)
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To: traditional1

Someone needs to put a ballgag on Begala!


13 posted on 08/07/2006 1:15:15 PM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ("Don't touch that thing")
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To: calcowgirl
Another bright idea from an idiot. First of all, we've been paying an "alternative sources of energy" tax since the oil crisis back in the early 1970's and the gov't has yet to produce a drop of fuel...you'd think 30+ years might be enough time to get something done.

The tree-huggers in CA have fought every energy-source production facility for the past three decades, from power plants to off-shore drilling, but listen to 'em bit#h when they have a brown or black out. Now they're complaining about high gas prices and this idiot wants to produce less so that it becomes more expensive for the CA economy to function.

Maybe CA deserves these idiots.
14 posted on 08/07/2006 1:15:38 PM PDT by econjack
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To: calcowgirl
The backers do not have the money the oil companies do. It is not even close. By the time the elections roll around the voters will not know what they are voting for. This measure will lose, guaranteed.
15 posted on 08/07/2006 1:19:54 PM PDT by Uncle Hal
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To: econjack

That's why so many companies are relocating on the other side of the mountains, in Nevada....Kalifornia is not conducive to business operations.


16 posted on 08/07/2006 1:20:44 PM PDT by traditional1
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To: beltfed308

Oh, great. This proposal is going to make other businesses rush to do business in CA. This is like when Gov. Celeste in Ohio passed an "exit tax" equal to 6 months payroll on any company that closed their doors to relocate to less expensive (read lower-taxed) states. Within weeks, the good governor was scratching his head asking: "Gee...we don't seem to have any new businesses forming here in Ohio now. Wonder why?" Fortunately, the "duh factor" hit enough state legislators that they repealed the bill in less than a year.

Hey, CA....you listening?


17 posted on 08/07/2006 1:25:29 PM PDT by econjack
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To: traditional1
More on The Forehead

Begala was born in New Jersey and raised in Missouri City, Texas. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught briefly before going to work for Bill Clinton.

While at the University of Texas, Begala was a candidate for Student Government president. However, he finished second to a write-in campaign for Hank the Hallucination, a monster character from the comic strip "Eyebeam." Begala was declared the human winner, following a ruling that imaginary characters could not hold the position

18 posted on 08/07/2006 1:27:10 PM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: calcowgirl

Atlas Shrugged happening right before our eyes.


19 posted on 08/07/2006 1:28:31 PM PDT by somniferum (Annoy a liberal.. Work hard and be happy.)
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To: Uncle Hal
This measure will lose, guaranteed.

I hope you're right. But still, the fact that such a stupid plan of attack is even being considered as a solution really bothers me. Man, if I lived in CA, my blood pressure would be so high, I'd probably explode...

20 posted on 08/07/2006 1:29:49 PM PDT by econjack
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