In George Orwell’s 1984, there is a particularly gripping scene where the protagonist, Winston, is being interrogated by O’Brien, a member of the party leadership. O’Brien shows Winston a photo that proves that three party members who were executed for treason were, in fact, innocent. O’Brien then drops the photo into what is called a […]
The mass shooting in Sacramento last weekend that took six lives occurred one block from the Capitol offices of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. The following morning, I speculated on social media that it was probably gang members with criminal records. It didn’t take a Kreskin to make that sort of prediction which, of course, turned […]
As a participant in capital politics for more than 30 years, I’ve observed many abuses of power. Corruption, pettiness, gross narcissism, and dirty tricks have all increased in recent years both in terms of frequency and shock value. The latest incident, and honestly one of the more disturbing I have seen, occurred in the Assembly […]
Property rights are one of the most fundamental constitutional provisions that protect Americans against government abuse. Unfortunately, these rights are regularly under assault by state and local tax collectors who aggressively target homeowners who have fallen behind on their property tax payments. Constant vigilance is necessary to protect property owners against any government encroachments on […]
While few Californians weathered the pandemic unscathed, taxpayers took a particularly heavy hit, getting stuck for the longterm cost of relief payments, bailouts and fraud while losing earnings during the “two weeks to flatten the curve” that turned into two years. If we had known in early 2020 what we now know, it is doubtful […]
A recent column in this space was headlined “Inflation, the cruelest tax.” Well, if inflation is the cruelest tax, then inflation’s impact on gasoline, combined with the nation’s highest tax, can only be characterized as “cruel and unusual punishment.” In addition to inflation and taxes, other government policies related to petroleum are counterproductive. These include […]
Anyone in California who would like to open an individual retirement account can walk into, or log into, any number of well-established financial services companies to see an array of options. One of those options is to have an automatic recurring withdrawal from current earnings or savings. It’s a useful way to “pay yourself first” […]
Anniversaries and birthdays are usually thought of as celebratory events, but on February 16th, California marked an unhappy milestone. It started in November 2020, when voters narrowly passed Proposition 19. While the initiative contained some positive elements, it also repealed an important taxpayer protection from the California Constitution that taxpayers have relied on for nearly […]
More than 42 years ago, California voters overwhelmingly enacted Proposition 13 in response to out-of-control property taxes. Even with the passage of time, Prop. 13 remains very popular among citizens of all political stripes. Nonetheless, many politicians and bureaucrats hate Prop. 13 because it prevents them from taking unlimited cash from the taxpaying public. In […]
It’s a safe bet many Californians would love to update their homes or businesses if they could. New windows, a new roof, perhaps new furniture and equipment are needed, but the inflationary cost of goods, coupled with the financial strain many are experiencing due to California’s COVID restrictions, have put desired upgrades out of reach. […]
