Rider on Tax Freedom Day… The ever-analytical Richard Rider sends along some info from the Tax Foundation on Tax Freedom Day (TFD), and he focuses particularly on California.  We’re losing ground (no surprise there), with this year’s TFD on April 30 but CA’s a week later. 

TFD, of course, is the symbolic day upon which the average person would have paid all their taxes for the year, with the balance of the year their income to keep to themselves, if we paid taxes that way, of course.  Given CA is one of the worst state’s in the nation, this info is of particular interest considering the legislature is once again considering an a "softening" of Prop 13.

Rider’s take:

Bad news — we Americans work two more days this year than last, with the nationwide Tax Freedom Day this year being 30 April, 2007.  After some tax relief in the early part of the decade, thanks to desperately needed tax cuts (too bad spending mushroomed at the same time), the tax burden is once again rapidly growing.

For Californians, the news is even worse.  On average, we work a full week more to pay our taxes than the average American — our tax freedom day is 7 May.

Remember the Big Government boosters’ claims that Prop 13 ruined California — that we skinflint Golden State citizens are not paying enough taxes?  Well, it turns out that California’s Tax Freedom Day is the eighth worst in the nation.  Without Prop 13, we’d have first (worst) place nailed down.

And because our state income tax is EXTREMELY progressive (screwing the productive people) and treats capital gains as ordinary income, the tax burden on our even moderately prosperous taxpayers is even worse than 7 May — a LOT worse.

Here is this year’s entire study from the Tax Foundation.

Quote of the Week… The Democrats aren’t going to miss a chance to claim the competitiveness of an open Duncan Hunter seat (CD 52).  Yes, it’s competitive all right…in the Republican primary.  SD GOP Vice Chairman Michael McSweeney said it best about the Dem chances during a KPBS Full Focus interview (watch it here):

"I have as much a chance as supplanting LaDanian Tomlinson as running-back for the Chargers starting next year as the Democrats do picking up that seat."

For the record, I would say just the opposite for the GOP’s chances of taking Bob Filner’s seat (short of a redraw)…just some info for the next neophyte who comes along claiming they can win, because of all their "friends and cousins who live in the district."

Speaking of the County Party… Read some anony-blog accounts of last week’s successful annual Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner at Red County/San Diego:

The Morning After

The View from Another Table

Also, new GOP Chairman Tony Krvaric outlined his vision for the future on KPBS.  Watch it here.

Valentine on SD City Council… Roger Hedgecock Producer Jimmy Valentine opines, as only he can, on the absence of some councilmembers during important budget sessions last week:

SD CITY COUNCIL was in session yesterday (Tuesday). Well most of them. Three of the culprits were among the missing. This as vital city business was being attended to, specifically allowing the city fire fighters to hold up taxpayers once again. The city budget is due by right now but three
musketeers had other things to do…to wit:

Councilman Kevin Faulconer, on a family vacation, and Councilman Jim Madaffer, in Mexico City with fellow SANDAG board members, missed both meetings this week. Councilman Brian Maienschein, who said he felt sick during Monday’s meeting, told his colleagues he was too ill yesterday to attend.

A family vacation at city budget time? Isn’t that what Easter recess is for?

Mexico City? Mexicans gonna help expand the I-15 for us? Or maybe subsidize the Sprinter? Or are we talking about that NAFTA hiway thing?

The only valid excuse would seem to be submitted by Maienschein. If you had to sit next to Toni Atkins for more than 15 minutes would you get real serious sick too? Watching on city TV makes me way stomach upset. Burp.

Exchange of the Week… Last week a reader challenged me on my assertion in a post on the 52nd Congressional that Senator Dennis Hollingsworth wouldn’t run because the seat is "not enough of (his) base Riverside district for him to take it seriously."

To be clear, which I wasn’t apparently, Dennis does represent much of CD 52 in San Diego County, as his Senate seat covers both SD and Riverside.  But because he lives in Riverside, not part of the Congressional seat, I was surmising he wouldn’t consider it, since it isn’t his home base (although I didn’t use the word "home").

The reader sent along maps of the SD 36 and CD 52 and wrote, "Don’t you think you kind of marginalized Hollingsworth?  I know he spends 75% of his time representing the SD portion of the district since 2002, and he has more overlap on the population areas of the 52nd CD than just about anyone else…your comments appeared a bit hasty.  No?"

My response:  "No, that was based on direct comments from his folks."

Reader: "OK…I’m just surprised that he or his people would refer to his base as just Riverside these days."

My response: "That (part) may have been more my interpretation."

Reader (good naturedly): "Ah hah! You’re now a full-fledged member of the fourth estate. Pick up your wrinkled corduroy jacket and notepad on the way out."

My response: "Fourth Estate? Perhaps, but new breed. That’s a wrinkled corduroy jacket and a Blackberry.

Have a great week!

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.