Why do progressives love regressive taxes? The news that, as of July 1, several cities in very liberal Alameda County have increased their sales tax rate to a staggering 10.75%, got us thinking about how many of California’s recent tax hikes have been regressive. In fact, despite the claim that progressives like to “tax the […]
Regrettably, Californians are accustomed to strange bills being introduced in the California Legislature. The designation of an official state dinosaur comes immediately to mind. But others are not just strange, they are purposefully designed to fool the public. For example, Senate Constitutional Amendment No. 1, dealing with the peoples’ right to referendum, seeks to reverse […]
A common complaint among the taxpaying public is that the government spends taxpayer dollars for political ads. In theory, this is supposed to be illegal, but it still happens all too frequently. Up until now, the Fair Political Practices Commission has been an aggressive enforcer against these expenditures. For example, the FPPC imposed a $1.3 […]
Well, they’ve done it again. Since the passage of Proposition 25 more than a decade ago, the California Legislature has passed what can only be described as fake budgets. The 2021-22 “budget” passed last week is no exception. Despite the self-congratulatory preening of Democratic leadership, the “on-time” budget is neither on-time nor is it a […]
It’s no secret that those who complain about taxes — and who doesn’t — tend to focus on how much money is taken from our wallets and pocketbooks. In California, government takes a lot with highest in the nation tax rates in most categories. But equally insulting is the poor level of service we get […]
There’s a particularly creepy scene in the children’s classic, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” where a diabolical villain lures two kids from their hiding place by walking down the street calling out, “Ice cream. Get some ice cream! Today, it’s all free!” The children can’t resist and they emerge from a building to get into a […]
California Democrats control the governor’s mansion, every statewide elected office, both U.S. Senate seats, 42 of 53 congressional districts and hold a supermajority in both houses of the state Legislature. You’d think such electoral dominance would remove any need to further stack the process in their favor – but you thought wrong. Perhaps the political […]
We can say this much about the folks in the California Legislative Analyst’s Office: They don’t mince words. After Gov. Gavin Newsom crowed last week about “his” $76 billion surplus, the LAO was standing by with a bucket of cold water to dump on his latest proposed budget. The Legislative Analyst’s Office is the state […]
Beginning in the 1970s, voters across the United States began revolting against excessive taxation and, by way of direct democracy or heavy pressure on their respective state legislatures, they achieved some success by enacting new laws. These laws aimed at enforcing fiscal restraint are sometimes referred to as TELs, or “tax and expenditure limitations.” According […]
Every parent wants to help his or her kids and protect them from hardship. Many families that started out with nothing were able to build, with hard work and sacrifices over two or three generations, a bit of economic security that they hope to pass on to the next generation. This is the reason that […]
