Think you came up a bit short trick-or-treating this year? It’s nothing compared to California, whose revenues in October came in $800 million below projections. Overall, California is about $1.5 billion in the red for the current fiscal year, which may trigger some nasty cuts to schools and public safety if revenues don’t start pouring in soon.
Of course, California didn’t get into these dire straits by accident. Years and years of reckless overspending pushed the state over the fiscal precipice resulting in the sorry state of affairs we’re seeing today. Apparently, despite billions in cuts to education and other critical programs, some people still haven’t gotten the message. Consider the so-called California Cancer Research Act, pushed by a former legislator. This nearly billion dollar tax increase not only would duplicate existing programs, but would spend up to $16 million annually on additional overhead and up to $117 million a year for new buildings and facilities. In short, it would create another new bureaucracy to pay for, even though we can’t pay for the programs already on the books.
California dug itself into the hole it’s in by giving in to wild spending schemes time and time again. Perhaps this June, voters will finally get the message.
–Written By Matthew Cunningham (Posted with permission)
Matthew Cunningham is a writer and new media pioneer in the public and private sectors. In 2004, he founded Orange County’s first political blog, OC Blog, which spawned the most influential regional blogosphere in California and evolved into a national network of more than 30 local blogs under the RedCounty.com banner. He’s also a contributor to the FlashReport Blog, California’s leading statewide conservative blog, and a regular guest on “The Filter with Fred Roggin,” NBC 4’s daily public affairs program.
Moe Lane
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California should be a model
conservativeparrothead Thursday, November 17th at 5:38PM EST (link)For what happens when you overregulate and overtax…Jobs go bye bye.
The environmental regulations, the insurance on things like workmans comp are just crippling to small business.
Fact is:
California has a very high income tax, top earners around 10%, has a 8.25% sales tax (which was at 9 for a while), has .18 per gallon gas tax added to the federal gas tax, has extremely high fees for things such a vehicle licensing, although property tax is 1% the real estate is very expensive so that 1% is bringing in a lot of money…yet with all of that…still broke.
What is crazy is the voters just keep voting dem after dem after dem into some of these districts, they have run the state into this mess and have controlled the legislature for years, yet no talk of throw the bums out…
But what I find even more amazing, is that through the years as ballot propositions go up for vote, its mindblowing how often the “Republican”
position wins those elections. Tax increases, gay marriage and legalized Marijuana all fell at the ballots in CA. Yet someone has an R next to their name, they might as well say SATAN (R). California is a state which is ripe for change, but again Conservatism has to be articulated and sold, because its too easily demonized and the statewide candidates have been very weak since the mid 1990′s. Would love to see Tom McClintock get a shot at DiFI in 2012 Senatorial race.
Home of prop 13
carolina Thursday, November 17th at 8:38PM EST (link)and a socialist govt. Sometimes I think CA just “wants to have its cake and eat it too!”
California could probably solve budget with reform of 13
conservativeparrothead Thursday, November 17th at 9:00PM EST (link)There is this ridiculous rule about inheritance and keeping 1 wall. I know someone who lives in a 1.2 Million dollar home, they are paying property tax on 1969 price, probably $450 a year when they should be paying $12000 a year.
With real estate prices where they are, the state should collect enough revenue at 1% to make it work, anything too much higher and the housing market would be worse than it already is because people couldnt qualify for houses because of the property tax.