
WHO’S LOOKING OUT FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS?
Thirty years of political engagement in California politics has led me to the realization that the middle class is woefully underrepresented in this state. Not only that, but this injustice seems amplified with every passing year.
This column has covered the lack of meaningful representation for ordinary citizen taxpayers for more than a decade. Indeed, in October, we exposed the unfairness of Assembly Bill 8, a massive $2.3 billion car tax increase on everyone who relies on their cars for work, errands and everyday life.
Assembly Bill 8 was nothing less than a deal among very powerful interests who had no problem throwing taxpayers under the bus. Who were the winners? Environmental extremists (with support from Governor Brown) who got funding for a dubious “Hydrogen Super Highway.” Also, manufacturers of “green cars,” like the hyper expensive Tesla, got big tax breaks. Regrettably, some of our allies in the agriculture and trucking industry were in on the deal… Read More