May 19, 2009
Election Day: Just say "No!"
As Californians head to the polls today, reportedly in small numbers, allow me to humbly suggest the following votes:
No. No. No. No. No. No.
Propositions 1A through 1F are a nightmare of fiscal irresponsibility, continued excessive spending, confiscatory taxes, and mendacious, deceptive falsity in advertising.
Prop. 1A would change the state's budgeting practices and extend for two years the so-called temporary tax increases, $16 billion from sales taxes, use taxes, income taxes and vehicle "licensing fees" (weaselwords for taxes). No!
Prop. 1B would provide for increased funding for education -- because clearly what ails the public education system is a lack of adequate funding. It would mandate -- require -- an extra $9.3 billion for schools and community colleges, fiscal responsibility be damned. Not. No!
Prop. 1C is the co-called "lottery modernization," which would enable the state to borrow against future lottery revenue -- gambling-based deficit spending. Sound responsible to you? No!
Prop. 1D would shift $268 million in tobacco tax revenue away from "First Five" child development programs and allow the state to spend it on other, similar programs. Opponents say it would result in "First Five" essentially being gutted in the short term, with no appreciable savings, other than to salvage other programs that probably serve the same general base of needy kids. I don't think most of these programs are worth a tinker's damn, but resent the attempt to play Three Card Monte with money already designated for kids. No!
Prop. 1E would shift about $230 million in annual income tax revenue from mental health programs for two years, to be used instead for a federally mandated Medicaid program for people under the age of 21. It's another example of rearranging the deckchairs on our fiscal Titanic, doing nothing to plug the holes in our sinking ship of state. Furthermore, do we really want to cut funds that provide treatment for the mentally ill, leaving them on our streets, untreated? Sound responsible? Sound safe? No!
Prop. 1F would prohibit pay raises for California politicians -- the highest paid in the nation! -- if the state General Fund is expected to end the year in a deficit. Sounds reasonable, right? The problem is it creates a perverse incentive for legislators to pass massive tax hikes in order to close the budget gap -- so they can have their damn raises! More money for them, more tax-increase screwjobs for us. No!
Any questions?
Posted by Mike Lief at May 19, 2009 07:07 AM
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Comments
If you believe in conspiracies (who, me?) the wholesale re-arrangement of the polling places seems likely to significantly reduce turn-out. Just saying . . .
Posted by: The Little Coach at May 19, 2009 09:38 AM
Amen........usually I see dozens of voters at my polling place at 7am on election day. Today, I saw one old hippie woman waiting for the polls to open....
Posted by: Schmedley at May 19, 2009 09:39 AM
I know this is a very simplistic view of the problems in California, but if I came to my friends and told them that I was spending far more money every month than I was making, I would EXPECT that my friends would be having a very candid talk with me about my expenses. I would not expect them to start talking to me about a night job to bring in more money. AND I would especialy not expect to hear them talking about borrowing on credit, against my house, against my future earnings or drowning my kids' college funds. Why is this so freakin difficult for California legislators to understand?
Further, I don't claim to be a Revolutionary War buff, but didn't we fight a bloody war to have less government in our lives?? Wasn't there a document written by our newly formed government that pretty much lays out the fact that we do not want the government involved in our every day lives?? The whole Bill of Rights deals with restraining the government from impeding on our ability to be free people.
Now, less than three hundred years later, we live in a place governed by the same document, but somehow interpreted to mean that we need more government. The government can solve all of your problems. Give the government your money and they will properly spend it to help you. Are you f---n kidding me? On top of our own stupidity of trying to be the ultimate welfare state, we are also spending BILLIONS to spread democracy to places where they do not care to have it. AND, we spend a fortune on foreign aid.
Sorry for the rant, but on an election day, I like to reflect. I am thankful to be from this country. I have been given a huge advantage over the world just by being born here. I have tried to work hard to take advantage of the gift that I have been given. As I make more money, I am more frustrated by all the people, including the legislators, that have their hands out.
UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGh
Posted by: RW at May 19, 2009 11:06 AM