Policy decisions about borrowing and spending have generated out of control deficits and spiraling debt at all levels of government. Partisan politics have frequently led to impasse as one-side refuses to compromise with the other. If a sensible non-partisan tax policy is not enacted, high tax rates and profligate spending will continue to drive individuals and businesses into the red and leave Americans without jobs.
A Democratic budget package approved by the state legislature last week has rekindled the nationwide debate over state regulation of internet-based retailers.
“I put up an all-cuts budget. Then the Democrats change [the all-cuts budget] and put in gimmicks. Then I veto it. Then everybody sits there until we run out of money. It’s not going to be a pretty sight. It’s like one-two: No tax, all cuts, gimmicky budget, veto, paralysis.”
Most commentators agree that Tim Pawlenty’s proposal of an annual five percent further reduction in taxes, even for wealthy Americans, makes little sense and is simply an attempt to outflank the rest of the GOP presidential hopefuls. But, the real problem, as clearly stated by former Reagan economist
Let’s recap, shall we? Jerry Brown swept into office with bold plans to clean up the Augean Stables that State of California finances have become. He planned to put a number of measures before voters, and if approved, would use them as a mandate to slay the Budget Demon. Surely then the Golden Days would return, as a balanced budget swept through the land and we all went surfing again.
Last week at the California State PTA convention, Governor Jerry Brown promised to protect public education even as he works to close a daunting $15 billion budget deficit and negotiate with Republican legislators opposed to any form of tax increases to help close the gap.
SB 34, which recently passed a State Senate committee, would create a behemoth new Delta water agency with extraordinary powers. It would be able to impose taxes upon water users who do not benefit from the tax. Oversight and accountability would be negligible. There would be no directly elected officials on the board either, which would be able to overrule other water agencies at will.
California budget negotiations have an eternal air of unreality about them. Negotiators make lofty assumptions about income and revenue, only to be proven wrong later. Complicated proposals requiring the approval of eternally squabbling factions are floated as though they have a fine chance of being passed. Democrats resist spending cuts, while Republicans insist taxes must never be raised.
A Gallup poll published this Thursday found that 47% of Americans have an unfavorable image of the Tea Party movement, the highest unfavorable rating since the fledgling movement erupted onto the national scene.
Gov. Brown’s “concessions” from public unions have, as usual in the convoluted, interminable, and deeply opaque process by which California eventually stumbles to a budget agreement, turned out to be less of a cut than what state employees are experiencing under their current expired contract.
After sweeping into the world of politics with an impressive showing this last November, the Tea Party movement– characterized by its commitment to lower taxes, less spending, and less government intervention into the economy– swept into the world of cinema this April 15th, the IRS deadline for filing income taxes informally known as “tax day.”
