What suicidal impulse would lead any Republican legislator to believe it is a good for either California taxpayers or the California Republican Party to support:
- Raising the sales tax by an additional 1%?
- Nearly doubling the vehicle license fee?
- Raising income taxes?
- Spiking the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon?
Honestly, any Republican legislator who votes for this deal ought to re-register as a Democrat, because making the problem worse — which is what this deal will do — is an activity best left to legislators of that persuasion.
I saw somewhere today where Governor Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, Aaron McLear, claimed the "state is running out of money."
This is simply, manifestly untrue. It’s a fib, a fable. The state of California rakes in an absolutely enormous amount of money each and every year. The size of the ginormous haul gets bigger every year. in fact, the amount of tax revenues for this year was sufficient to fund the state budget just two short years ago.
Obviously, logically, the problem is the Governor and the Legislature lack the political will to restrain spending to revenues, because state government is run for the benefit of tax-eaters, not taxpayers. And as long as this situation is rewarded with an ever greater share of the wealth of the hard-working people of this state, this crisis will continue.
Ronald Reagan, while debating George H.W. Bush about when we can cut taxes, shared this magnificent, forgotten insight:
And I have to point out that government does not tax to get the money it needs, government needs the money it gets.
Now, your son can be extravagant wit his allowance and you can lecture him day after day about saving money and not being extravagant, or you can solve the problem by cutting his allowance."
The government of this state has been extravagant with other people’s money — our money — for far too long. For any Republican to be a party to continuing this extravagance — and that is what this budget agreement does — defeats the purpose of our party.
February 12th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Matt…you forgot that they also want to tax the taxes we pay! Let’s see, so I owe $20,000 to the state and then I get whacked for another $500 for the priviledge of paying the $20k. We must have a sign on our back like the geek in high school that says “kick me”.
February 12th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Assemblyman Chuck Devore predicted on the “John & Ken” radio talk
show Wednesday that the budget Deal would fail in the Legislature.
Mr. Devore pointed to Senator Maldonado’s vocal opposition to the
Budget deal as being decisive.