Back in 2009, six Republicans voted with all of the Democrats in the Capitol to sock it to Californians with the largest tax increase in state history — Senators Roy Ashburn, Dave Cogdill and Abel Maldonado, and Assemblymembers Anthony Adams, Mike Villines, and Roger Niello — all of whom besides Niello had violated a written pledge against raising taxes (and Niello ran on some pretty strong anti-tax rhetoric). Three of these scoundrels are actually trying to run for public office again this year. Anthony Adams is running for Congress as a “No Party Preference” candidate in CD 8, an open “safe GOP” seat in the high desert of Southern California. Abel Maldonado is running for Congress in the coastal 24th District. Finally, Roy Ashburn is running for a seat on the Kern County Board of Supervisors, a job he held eons ago before being elected to the legislature.
All three of these ex-politicians seeking election this year were rewarded for their willingness to raise taxes with plum political appointments. Maldonado, of course, was appointed to be the state’s Lt. Governor, though he was trounced in his bid for election to a full term in that office. Anthony Adams was given a lucrative appointment to the State Parole Board. Roy Ashburn sits today on the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. All of these appointments came with six figures salaries I might add.
Abel Maldonado
On his official campaign website Maldonado has a section called “Keep Taxes Down” — what a joke. Maldonado says that he’ll work on keep the tax burden down on working people. Like the working people you stiffed with a massive sales tax increase for two years after campaigning for office having signed a pledge not to do just that. He even goes so far to say, on his campaigned website, that he “earned high ratings for his opposition to higher gas, car, income, internet and payroll taxes.” Such gall this man as he would cast the deciding for massive income and sales and car taxes, and then put so much untrue rhetoric on his website.
Anthony Adams
While Anthony Adams has departed the Republican Party, his says on his website, “I have a traditional viewpoint that I believe the citizens of the 8th Congressional District share, which is that the best government is a limited government. I believe that before the government asks for a dollar from taxpayers, that government must make sure that this dollar is not being wasted.”
What a bunch of baloney. When Adams’ voted for higher taxes, he proudly boasted doing so on talk radio. Now he’s trying to convince unsuspecting voters who may not know his role in raising their taxes that he’s for limited government.
Roy Ashburn
Finally, with regards to his bid for County Supervisor, Roy Ashburn postured with the Ridgecrest Daily Independent, implying that he is a fiscal conservative, “I also want use my experience and understanding of the state legislative processes to help make our county less vulnerable to the State’s habitual attempts to impose greater mandates and take more of our money.“ and he also said, that he “ha[s] a plan for trimming the fat and making our local government lean so that more dollars are passed to the people.”
Pretty funny since Ashburn played such a pivotal role in a massive grab into taxpayer wallets to the voracious appetite of state government.
In the meantime Ashburn’s website is literally unintelligible.
It is critical that those opinion leaders from the areas where these pledge-breakers are running for office spread the word about them, and what they did. None of them should ever be elected to an office of public trust again. Back in December of 2010 Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, wrote of the betrayal of these very politicians — and warned voters to beware… It is as relevant today as it was when it first appeared on this website.
April 6th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
There you go again, Jon, off the rails to the far right. In constant dollars the largest tax increase in California tax was – are you ready – by Governor Ronald Reagan. So, Jon, do you consider former Governor and President Ronald Reagan a “scoundrel?”
April 6th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
[…] Three Infamous “No New Taxes” Pledge Breakers Are Looking For A Repeat Performance […]
April 6th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Wow!!!!
Lets all have a great weekend!!!!
April 8th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
So Bob, did Ronald Reagan sign a “no new taxes” pledge when he ran for governor? After all, that’s what makes the others “scoundels” — they DID sign such a pledge, and then broke their word — with fat financial payoffs being their reward.
I might add that I’m not that big of a Ronald Reagan fan, though he was FAR better than most of his GOP contemporaries, and just about ANY Democrat (talk about a low bar to clear!).
April 9th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Hi Richard. No, as you know the “no new taxes pledge” post dates the Governorship of Ronald Reagan. But I do recall how Governor Reagan was blasted by the CRA for raising taxes and he appeared before their convention and gave his famous April 1967 speech where he said “… During the campaign it looked almost as if we could put our fiscal house in order without resorting to new taxes. We did not know just how bad the situation was then. Now we have had access to, and a chance to read, the fine print.
As a result, we have, as you know, submitted a revenue bill of nearly one billion dollars in increased taxes. Because there has been some editorial jumping-up-and-down-with-glee, holding that this makes a failure in our long-held belief in economy, let’s set the record straight here and now.
Roughly half of that tax increase is necessary simply to pay off this year’s deficit and put us on a pay-as-you-go basis. Half of the remainder is not a new tax so much as a broader based substitute tax to give, for the first time, direct property tax relief. Next year, with the deficit paid off, that relief can be more than doubled.
The remainder – about one-quarter of the total tax revenues – is for the normal increase to keep pace with population growth and increased prices and wages resulting from the Federal government’s policy of planned inflation. This increase is about 7%, in contrast with the 16% increase of the past year and the 12% average increase over the last eight years.
We tried for some $250 million in economies in the budgets requested by all the divisions of government. We ended up with more than $127 million. I’m just stubborn enough to think we got the $127 million because we tried for $250 million and we will continue to follow that policy.
Incidentally, one of the most heartening signs we have had in this brief administration is the recent poll which indicates most of our citizens favor our revenue package and, of those who favor it, 70% do so because they see the need to balance the budget. …”
As you can see from this portion of his speech, Governor Reagan was a pragmatic person who had the best interest of the state in mind and not a mindless “tax pledge” excuse to do nothing.
April 9th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
The problem with the now new taxes pledge is it defies logic and good government. What we really need is a make government efficient and effective in the areas we need efficient and effective government – public health (clean water) and public safety – pledge. If it means getting rid of some unnecessary and/or ineffective government or if it means raising some needed revenue, so be it. But so far, although Jon Fleischman and his contributors talk and write a lot about “cutting” government, I’ve yet to see what, where and when they are willing to cut and by how much. It’s easy to say “cut” but hard to say where and by how much.
April 9th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
oops – that should say … *no new taxes pledge …
April 9th, 2012 at 7:08 pm
The new California normal…..ask the voters to raise taxes on the rich!!
Think it will work….and appears habit forming!