Posted on 03/02/2010 7:58:58 AM PST by SmithL
Half of California voters believe the state should close its $19.9 billion deficit mostly or entirely through spending cuts rather than tax increases, according to a Field Poll released Tuesday.
That compares with 29 percent who said the state should use an equal mix of spending cuts and tax increases, or 13 percent who prefer balancing the budget solely or mostly with tax hikes.
Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo said that with the economy still in recovery and the state having passed tax hikes last year, "tax increases are just not that popular a notion right now."
"You're asking people to dig into their own pockets, and most voters think there's a lot of waste and abuse in state government," he said.
Despite that common refrain, state leaders have said cutting waste cannot solve the deficit problem. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger entered office in 2003 suggesting the state could solve its fiscal woes by being more efficient. But in recent years he has blamed the dysfunctional system more.
Government reformers have proposed several changes this year, ranging from a constitutional convention to reducing the two-thirds-vote threshold necessary to pass a state budget.
Those efforts have struggled, however. Backers of a constitutional convention stopped collecting signatures in February after not raising enough money. Another drive by California Forward to qualify a budget change measure also is endangered.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
The reason people are wary of a constitutional convention is because the politicians keep stating that they want to make it easier to raise our taxes.
Very telling graphic. CA will never get fixed. Thanks for the post.
California lost billions of taxes when they orderd the caping of the oil wells and not allowing more wells to be dug. At the same time they did this, they increased their spending. Sure glad they don’t run my finances.
what percentage of Californians actually pay taxes?
and since when did California actually care what the people want? Don’t judges over rule them every time?
Too funny. These same people who claim to prefer spending cuts, not taxes, to close the deficit will go out tomorrow and all vote for the neigborhood liberal Democrat for office. Sheesh, wake up!
OK then they need to vote that way.
Maybe we should also ask “What percentage of illegals pay taxes?”
I wonder what the results would be if they polled actual TAXPAYERS only!!
it will never be fixed until the lights come on Send all the illegals home now. it will eliminate school overcrowding if that is even a problem . it will empty the emergency rooms. it will eliminate thousands of dui’s, it will close up the welfare roles and who knows what the impact on the prison system now and later. and the millions of jobs it will free up. the taxes we receive from just that will be amazing. we might even be able to close the post office on saturday. because there will be no one to send their $$ back to mexico
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Boy howdy, you'd never know this in Santa Cruz County.
Those putzes never saw a tax increase that they didn't like.
Here’s an idea - let’s drastically cut the pay of these morons in Sacramento who mucked up our state in the first place. Let’s also end their per diem stipend in total.
Right and then the idiots drove business out of the State with environmental BS regulations. Then they turned against the taxpayers and taxes, taxes, taxes, on damn near everything. Solid citizens just packed up and left the State. Never has a State been burdened with stupid idiots than this State. NY second.
The CA Assembly would be wise to audit the entire state government and eliminate the graft and corruption first starting with themselves. Secondly, they can eliminate all the boards and agencies (and their staffers) that were nothing but political payoffs for decades. Freeing prison inmates and laying off cops should be the last thing they do.
Political hacks on display starts with California politicians second only to Chicago.
Yet they reject candidates who take the same stand.
I heard a republican from California(name escapes me right now) say the other day on FoxNews that more people have now left the state than came during the great dustbowl! That is bad and most were probably taxpayers escaping the fleecing.
I hope they start Brown’s recall effort the day he is sworn into office.
Politicans are as likely to enact spending cuts as cats are to walk backwards.
The Voters should take note that
DemocRats love to raise taxes.
Republicans love to make tax cuts.
and vote accordingly in November..
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