There’s an old joke about the origins of the word “expert.” The story is that it is a combination of the word “ex” – meaning a has-been – and “spurt” – defined as a drip under pressure. Therefore, “expert” means a has-been drip under pressure. Like it or not, we all rely on experts in […]
Rarely has a posting on Twitter (which was intended to be serious) made me laugh out loud. But such was the case last week when the California High Speed Rail Authority sent out a Tweet hoping to capitalize on the air travel meltdown due to winter storms. The implication was that California’s rail project would […]
As the Legislature gavels in for another session of taxpayer abuse, we can look back at the last session and cheerfully report, it could have been worse. The Legislature sent Gov. Gavin Newsom 1,166 bills last year. He signed 997 and vetoed 169. Fortunately, the midterm elections served to concentrate the minds of lawmakers, taming […]
I sincerely hope that readers aren’t turned off by the title of this column. While most taxpayers aren’t directly responsible for paying unemployment insurance taxes, the truth is we all pay and, in California, we pay a great deal more than we should. Last week I received an email from a dentist who operates a […]
The 1970s were a long time ago. It might be hard to imagine, or remember, what it was like back then. So, I’ll paint you a picture: Inflation was skyrocketing, costs were soaring, Iran was in turmoil and the United States was in proxy war with Russia over the latter’s invasion of a neighboring nation. […]
“No person’s life, liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session,” is a quote attributed to Mark Twain. For that reason, taxpayers breathed a sigh of relief when the legislature adjourned on August 31st of this year. That’s the good news. The bad news is that legislators return this week and, at […]
Thanksgiving has always been a time of reflection, both on the good and bad. As taxpayer advocates, those of us at Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association have a lot to criticize. California has the highest income tax rate, highest state sales tax rate and highest gas tax in America. And despite claims that Proposition 13 has […]
There is near unanimity among economists that the United States will experience a recession in 2023. Last month, the Conference Board predicted a 96 percent likelihood of a recession in the U.S. within the next 12 months due primarily to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes. Relative to other states, California is ill-prepared to weather […]
True to form with elections in California, we will not know the outcomes of many key races for days, if not weeks. But we can already discern some notable trends of particular relevance to taxpayers. First, in statewide office contests, Republicans are irrelevant as California remains in the grip of one-party rule. As proof, consider […]
While the title of this column assumes that Republicans will do very well nationally on election day, it’s not just idle speculation. Democrats and pundits have all but conceded the inevitability. Political junkies will also tell you that it is confirmed by several factors beyond polling. For example, in races that were once thought to […]
