Exhibit A: Budget Woes brought on by Baby Boomer selfishness.
Okay, I could link you folks directly to the NY Times article, but unfortunately they require a subscription. So I'll just link you to a website that has repasted most of the article.
Despite the economic slump, despite irresponsible policies that have doubled the state’s debt burden since Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor, California has immense human and financial resources. It should not be in fiscal crisis; it should not be on the verge of cutting essential public services and denying health coverage to almost a million children. But it is — and you have to wonder if California’s political paralysis foreshadows the future of the nation as a whole.
The seeds of California’s current crisis were planted more than 30 years ago, when voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 13, a ballot measure that placed the state’s budget in a straitjacket. Property tax rates were capped, and homeowners were shielded from increases in their tax assessments even as the value of their homes rose.
The result was a tax system that is both inequitable and unstable. It’s inequitable because older homeowners often pay far less property tax than their younger neighbors. It’s unstable because limits on property taxation have forced California to rely more heavily than other states on income taxes, which fall steeply during recessions.
The budget thing is part of a long running attempt by the republicans to bankrupt the state. Seriously, starting with Proposition 13 back in 1978 that froze property tax revenues to absolute numbers from 1978, they've literally been attempting to bankrupt the state with complete deliberation for over 30 years. Over thirty years of trying to make the budget insolvent every year as part of a long rang plan to disband the government.
That it hasn't actually worked yet leads me to believe that the state will stagger on under this assault too.
I wonder if California (and the rest of the West) will wise up to the Republican party's shenanigans after they try to fix property taxes and encounter game-breaking resistance from the 33% of anti-tax nuts. I mean, you figure that if grandpa is dipping into the kids' college funds to play golf when they're 2 or 3 years old might be overlooked, but if the kids are 18 years old and the family is unemployed then this might cause a bit more outrage.
Last edited by Lago PARANOIA on Tue May 26, 2009 6:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Lago PARANOIA wrote:You-know-who was governor during this time, too.
I wonder if California (and the rest of the West) will wise up to the Republican party's shenanigans after they try to fix property taxes and encounter game-breaking resistance from the 33% of anti-tax nuts. I mean, you figure that if grandpa is dipping into the kids' college funds to play golf when they're 2 or 3 years old might be overlooked, but if the kids are 18 years old and the family is unemployed then this might cause a bit more outrage.
But he's dead.... *gasp*
Ancient History wrote:We were working on Street Magic, and Frank asked me if a houngan had run over my dog.
I really think Frank is being too kind when he says that republicans have been trying to bankrupt the state for 30 years. The California republicans don't have anything resembling that coherent a policy, it comes down to 1) I hate them taxes, and 2) I hate them gays. It is also the fault of the electorate that has rejected every bill that came before it that had a chance of balancing the budget.
Akula wrote:I really think Frank is being too kind when he says that republicans have been trying to bankrupt the state for 30 years. The California republicans don't have anything resembling that coherent a policy, it comes down to 1) I hate them taxes, and 2) I hate them gays. It is also the fault of the electorate that has rejected every bill that came before it that had a chance of balancing the budget.
The thing is, most of those bills have been traps. As in, the Republicans hae said "Now that we've fucking ruined taxation, let's balance the budget by disbanding the government!" The Cat Food Lobby has been working overtime in Cali.
