While I am a political analyst more comfortable with legislation and policy, occasionally the personal lives of politicians become entangled with politics and even policy. The affair of Republican Assembly Leader Chad Mayes and former Assembly Leader Kristen Olsen is one such situation where personal lives intersected with politics. This is personal and difficult to write about however, it is necessary.

The shamelessness exhibited in politics today is not new. But the current willingness by Republicans… Read More

As the violence against dissenters increased, the economic regulations began strangling business, and the systematic elimination of seniors continued unabated, it became harder and harder for people to survive in California. Most were frightened into silence, and as their incomes began to drop, to pay for the ever increasing size of the California government, people began looking for a way out.

That “way” came from the US federal government. Working Californians were highly educated and a net benefit to the economies of the states remaining in the US. To take advantage of this workforce, the US federal government decided to honor the US passports of those who lived in California, as long as those passports remained current. This led to a flood of emigration from California to other states. California’s government, faced with a depleting workforce, and the lack of productivity and tax revenue that followed losing the workforce, passed an “anti-emigration” law. It then attempted to arrest these “illegal” emigrants at the border, and return them to California. The US federal government, however, accepted them all. If a… Read More

NOTE:This is an updated article — using June, 2017 numbers.

It’s an educational (and scary) exercise to consider what our property taxes would be if Prop 13 had NOT passed in 1978 — and no subsequent reforms in property taxes occurred (a fair assumption, given Democrat dominance of the state legislature since 1970).

Most people have forgotten the following aspect: “In 1977, the average property tax rate in California was 2.67 percent.Proposition 13 fixed the rate at 1 percent of the purchase price[plus a 2% annual increase, or the COL, if less]. On top of the 1% is whatever additional rate is approved to cover voter-approved indebtedness, such as bonds. Although the additional rate varies around the state, it generally runs at about one-tenth of 1 percent, setting the overall Proposition 13 rate at 1.1 percent.”

http://www.caltax.org/WhatProposition13Did.pdf— page 1

Actually most people today will find that this article’s outdated “1.1%” property tax rate… Read More

The question today is whether we should let California back in the union? I am arguing against it, and this is why.

The question that most people ask is how California fell so fast, and why people began leaving. I could have predicted it, in retrospect it makes perfect sense. It was the natural progression of socialism in every place in which it has been tried. Once California separated itself from the “safety net” of the United States Federal Government and the US Constitution, individual protections collapsed and the socialist politicians, who believe they are imbued with special knowledge and understanding of social justice, began taking things from its productive class, under the guise of “helping” those in need. The citizens of California, faced with the choice between theft of their life savings or the ability to seek asylum in the US, chose asylum.

The problems began with the implementation of the single payer health system. It just cost too much. The original system included “illegal” aliens (an anachronism, because the first thing the California government did was legalize all those who had crossed the US border… Read More

Dateline Texas 2030 – As I sit here on the beach on South Padre Island on a beautiful spring day, I am reminded about how much I have to be thankful for. I am thankful that I live in this grand country, in one of the best of the 49 states; that freedom is still celebrated here, that technology still advances (I especially like the holograms in cell calls, helps me use the car pool lanes). I’m still a little unhappy that I haven’t been able to get the hover conversion that the movie Back to the Future II promised would be here by 2016, but all in all it is still good.

We all know why California seceded from the union. It’s now trying to get back in. California’s budget and economy has collapsed, and it is desperately pushing to re-enter the United States, mainly for a federal bail out. However, California’s problems were created by an out of control government in Sacramento, and they should not be allowed to come back without major changes. This history is an attempt to recount why California should not be allowed to come back to the United States, and why its government should not be bailed out.

It began in 2017. I… Read More

California’s middle class, who pay the bulk of all taxes in California, are constantly under attack from Sacramento politicians. Already this year, the Legislature approved Senate Bill 1, to add 19 cents per gallon to the cost of fuel beginning in October and an average of a $50 increase in the car tax. This translates into at least $400 in additional taxes for the average California family.

Now, Sacramento politicians have compounded the damage by imposing another fuel cost increase by extending the state’s cap-and-trade program, a market-based regulatory system for controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Under this program, impacted industries buy credits at auction which are then used to incentivize decreases in pollution levels.

Surprisingly, many industries forced into the “cap-and-trade” auctions supported the extension because they were threatened by Gov. Brown, environmental extremists and powerful regulators with an alternative program run completely by the government bureaucrats at the California Air Resources Board. And those were not idle threats.

Be that as it may, some legislators are using the “it could have been worse” argument to… Read More

by Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters

Updated 21 July, 2017 – updated for 2016-17 property tax revenues

Phone: 858-530-3027 Email:RRider92131@GMail.com Blog:www.RiderRants.BlogSpot.com

… Read More

Did you serve in the military and receive an honorable discharge? Or did a family member? It now appears you can avoid paying sales tax on many purchases, because you now have online access to the military exchanges.

http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/veterans-can-register-now-for-chance-at-early-access-to-online-military-exchange-shopping

Up until now, in the U.S. you could only shop at these exchanges if you were active duty (active or reserve) or retired military. DOD has unilaterally decided to let ALL honorably discharged vets shop there — but only online. Overall that means at least 13,000,000 more people (and often their families) will be able shop there online.

That would come to about 1,560,000 California veterans — vets who were heretofore not eligible for military exchange privileges. And the exchanges are TOUTING the fact that you won’t have to pay sales tax.

The state and local government tax grabbers can’t be happy about this development. And they DAMN sure… Read More