Posted on 06/17/2008 10:51:56 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
It was Al Capone who said you can get more with a smile and a gun than with just a gun. Well, Senate boss Don Perata is not smiling as he holds a tax gun to the heads of California taxpayers.
The June 15th constitutional deadline to pass the state budge has come and gone and all 120 members of the Legislature and the governor are in violation. Perata is making good on his threat, voiced last month, that there will be no budget without a tax increase. He and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass want at least $11.5 billion in new taxes. Make no mistake, Bass and Perata are not targeting opposition lawmakers or the governor with their threats.
They are menacing already overburdened taxpayers.
California is a high tax state and its economy is showing all the symptoms of recession -- even more severe than in other states.
Simply talking to average Californians will confirm what several recent polls tell us -- that three out of four of us believe we are on the wrong track. In a particularly disturbing trend, there is net outmigration of working, better educated Californians abandoning the Golden state for lower tax states.
California's stable population is attributable almost exclusively to births and new immigrants -- both documented and otherwise.
While common sense says that taxpayers staying in California have reached their limit, the legislative leaders want to take inspiration from Herbert Hoover, who raised taxes in response to the beginning of what became the Great Depression.
Perata, at least, should know better. It is not any failure by the taxpayers to provide sufficient funds that has resulted in the current budget crises. Last year, with former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and the governor as accessories to the crime, he led the charge for an unsound budget that would have been even worse if Senate Republicans had not held out for 58 days.
The governor has proven to be too quick to give in to the usual tax-and-spend suspects like Perata in an effort to maintain his popularity. Budget watchdog, Senator Tom McClintock, described the governor's response when, before last year's disastrous budget, he tried to warn him of the consequences. Californians do not want to hear bad news, they prefer optimism, Schwarzenegger told McClintock.
And the governor's response to the current crisis is just as weak.
When Perata made his now infamous threat, the governor responded, "Everything is on the table."
The governor need not go back more than five years to understand how betrayed taxpayers feel. In 2003 they helped recall a governor who had spent the state into misery and had resorted to illegal bond issues to cover the bills. Now, less than five years later, we see that government revenue has increased by 29 percent, while spending is up 36 percent.
How could this happen? The blame -- at least in part -- can be placed on questionable negotiation tactics by Governor Schwarzenegger. Every time there is conflict with the Legislature over spending, the governor takes a "firm" stand a scintilla to the right of the "riotous" spending proposal put forth by lawmakers, so that after negotiations, the final agreement has spending reduced to the merely "lavish" range.
Let's be clear about the initial negotiation position of the tax-and-spend lobby. The $11.5 billion in new taxes demanded by the Democrats is nothing short of outrageous. For that reason, Republicans should put a number of major pro taxpayer reform measures on the table as well, including -- but not limited to -- a real spending cap based on inflation and population (not the Governor's meaningless proposal), pension reform, paycheck protection (to prevent more Vallejos), meaningful contracting out, etc., etc. etc.
Of course, leadership will never go for any of these major reforms.
But the failure to address these reforms would give Republicans more than sufficient justification upon which to adhere to their pledge not to raise taxes.
And the Republicans ought to keep one thing in mind about who has the greater bargaining position here. The Democrats are the ones whose constituencies are tax receivers while Republicans represent the tax payers. Who suffers when government runs out of money?
Republicans forget this. While it may be irresponsible to wish for a shutdown of government, when conservatives have put reasonable proposals on the table which are rejected by the majority party, who's to blame for a shutdown?
The people who pay the bills are far more concerned with how much is taken out of their pockets than they are with uninterrupted state government -- a government they are viewing with increasing hostility.
spelling is correct in title. posted as found.
Dems know a lot about extortion.
They have been doing it for years.
“They are menacing already overburdened taxpayers.”
Blue state Californians must like it. They are the ones voting these criminally abusive politicians into office year after year.
The trouble in CA is that the tax receivers outnumber the taxpayers. If the GOP retains enough power to block the budget with tax increases they should, but it is going to be tough. People are voting with their feet..the high paid people and wealthy retirees are leaving and being replaced by illegals who sap the public funds.
I call them Tax Refugees..kind of like economic refugees.
If you are lucky to be employed in hitech or finance and can afford the taxes..with generous pay increases..ok stay, but those on fixed incomes and investment incomes are going to leave for tax free states. Some, will continue to visit their homes in CA as non-residents, but won’t be anything but realestate tax payers.
“Californians do not want to hear bad news, they prefer optimism, Schwarzenegger told McClintock.”.....
Good grief!.....What an idiot!
Dosen’t Same Sex Marriage reduce the tax burden on the lifestyles of the low life and perverted.
If California wants more dollars to support their fancies then just allow drilling for oil out of sight of land.
Alaskans are much smarter than Californians as they figured out the benefits of drilling for oil 40 years ago.
Someone should have checked that Capone quote.
That’s why leftists like to implement their policies at the highest possible level - so that you can’t “vote with your feet”.
Cut spending and cut the salaries of the legislature until they balance the budget. Just by cutting their salary by 10% every 3 months will force them to balance the budget. It won’t do the poor a bit of good if the state can’t pay them anything, if there aren’t any jobs and if the school system takes all the money from the tax payer.
Heck just have the judges issue a ruling that taxes must be collected to cover the deficit.
I’m still frustrated about the same-sex marriage decision and the legal reasoning used to get to their conclusions. But if marriage and family law has no need of a legislative process, maybe the state’s budget process has no need of the legislature and governor doing anything.
Just go to court and get the court to declare that government spending on all existing programs, including cost of living increases, is a civil right. If it’s a civil right, then confiscatory taxation will be allowed and required to balance the budget. No need for late night conferences or compromises on anything. If it’s a civil rights matter, then the judges will decide what to do.
There, problem solved! Just use the courts!
I live in New York, and like California, these clowns keep getting elected. I guess most of the population doesn’t care, or somehow benefits from the system. Shame us on us then.
I thought it was “You can get more with a smile and a gun than with just a smile”.
Or 'kind word' for 'smile.' In either case, the author has the idea turned about.
They are menacing already overburdened taxpayers.
Bad timing. Did these idiots just return from Mars?
I assume this is in addition to the existing $20 billion deficit?
Has anyone began a signature drive to recall these two criminals?
Another initiative that is sorely needed is for the permanent forfeiture of pay and allowance for failure to perform the duty for which they were elected.
I'm in!
Only if the cuts are permanent.
I am tired of the game where they wait out the opposition and the populace and collect all back pay eventually anyway!
What kind of penalty consequence is that?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
That’s what I think, as well.
I agree with you, Dilbert. Why, just think of the untaxed trillions of dollars available via a simple Calif. State Court ruling that would eliminate Prop 13. The step you propose would serve as a wonderful example for the rest of the country. As a California Tax Refugee, I’m all for it!
One should remember that Governor Schwarzenegger is a Republican. He was probably waiting for this and he certainly won't stop it. Until we clean up our house, the Democrats (some under Republican disguise) will continue to rule.
One should remember that Governor Schwarzenegger is a Republican.
He is? That’s news to many here who have watched him cast series doubt on that.. ;-)
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