Posted on 12/11/2008 10:46:59 PM PST by BurbankKarl
Reporting from Sacramento -- In private negotiations over the state's budget crisis, a top Republican legislator has broached the most dreaded idea in GOP circles: taxes.
The leader of the Assembly's Republicans, Mike Villines of Clovis, has publicly maintained the GOP's hard line against any tax increases. But last month, he volunteered to other legislative leaders and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that he might support an increase in the vehicle license fee and persuade other GOP lawmakers to go along, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions.
Two of the sources were in the budget meeting where Villines spoke, in the governor's office on the first floor of the Capitol. It is in such "Big Five" meetings -- restricted to the governor, both party leaders in the Assembly and the Senate, and sometimes a few top aides -- that the key points of budget deals are generally hammered out.
The sources would speak only on condition of anonymity, because none wanted to openly violate the confidentiality that is supposed to surround such negotiations.
Through a spokeswoman, Villines denied Thursday that he had ever supported raising the controversial fee, sometimes called the "car tax."
But the sources said Villines raised the possibility of GOP support for a higher car fee in budget negotiations last month, saying he thought that he could bring rank-and-file Republicans along if Democrats agreed to steep cuts in government programs and a permanent cap on state spending.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
The problem for Kalifornia is that many of the people who could afford to pay those high taxes have moved out of state thereby screwing up Kalifornia and also the state they moved into such as Nevada and Arizona.
Dude - sellouts.
/not a newsflash
I call BS. The last story on the budget in October had Villines cooperating with the Dems on a controversial withholding scheme, and he came on KMJ with Ray Appleton here in Fresno and said no way!
No new taxes in CA. Enough is Enough. Prop 13 started here. Ronald Reagan started here. Props 187 aand 8 passed here. It’s time for the Conservative Counter-Revolution to start here - in the words of Gavin Newsome -’whether you like it or not.’ This is the Greatest/Worst State in the Union. And it needs to be destroyed (financial Armageddon) to be saved.
Who needs republicans if all they want to do is emulate democrats and support high levels of spending with increased taxes?
Until republicans answer every proposal for a tax increase with a demand for reduced spending they serve on purpose on the issue.
They have to move away from the Bush years of big governmment and bigger spending than even democrats imagined and offer an alternative.
Don’t bunch in Arnold the RINO with the real Republicans like Cantor, Palin and Jindal. I still think Maria Shriver has Arnold’s pair in a cookie jar somewhere because he’s a liberal Democrat acting in the name of the Republicans.
Agreed!
"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
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.