Two Californias..

[LuckyKBoxer]

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/rural-280355-areas-various.html

Interesting article on California, and its disturbing trends.
Jerry Brown held a big public meeting recently to discuss the need to have us pay more more taxes or lose substantial programs..
A third option was suggested which was to revamp how we spend the money we have.
It seem to me living in California that the state government absolutely ignores the crimes, damage, and money lost due to illegal aliens, and will go after any middle class or higher person with a vengeance to steal money for the bloated, underperforming projects.
I believe we have about 12 percent of the nations population, and approximately 32% of the welfare cases.... among other problems I find this article on the two californias disturbing, anyone have a different take?

 

[girlbug2]

Well-written article.

The mention about how poorly the public schools perform was dead on. My dh grew up in Bakersfield, and the article doesn't even touch on the half of it.

Born and raised in California, I have always felt like an outsider in my own state. It's hard to muster any enthusiasm for anything here but the land, which is arguably the richest and best in the country. Politically though, I'm an outcast because I'm caucasian and conservative.

How sad, that our natural resources are so badly managed that the state which was once the crown jewel of the nation has become an embarassing joke.

 

[billc]

Victor Davis Hanson is a great writer. What I think is funny is when people in California and elsewhere say that people have to pay higher taxes because these various states are out of money. Even if I thought that it was fair to take more money from people, especially from the wealthy, which I do not, why should we accept what the politicians are saying. Obviously, from what Hanson is saying in this article, the tax payers are not getting anything for their tax dollars, in fact they are getting a nightmare for their tax dollars.

The same politicians who created the California of this article are the ones who want more tax money. I mean California re-elected Jerry Brown as governor. He is one of the leading causes of all of these problems and he is going to add to the destruction of California. California, what were you thinking? Why on earth would you give the creeps who created the problem more money? Let's say you agreed and gave up more money to "fix the problems" in California, would that money actually be spent to fix those problems? It is a terrible catch 22.

 

[Empty Hands]

The "cause" of California's problems is a simple majority vote required for spending, and a 2/3rds supermajority vote required to raise taxes or otherwise raise money. They have managed to do as well as they have for so long as they have because the economy is massive. The voters of course demand increased services and cut taxes with every step as well.

How did Schwarzenegger win? He promised to get rid of the vehicle license fee, which he did. Then had to put a multi-billion dollar bond measure on the next ballot. Which the voters handily approved. This is what happens when you let the populist impulse take total control.

 

[CoryKS]

The "cause" of California's problems is a simple majority vote required for spending, and a 2/3rds supermajority vote required to raise taxes or otherwise raise money.

That is supremely short-sighted. Why would they make it so much easier to spend money than to raise it?

 

[billc]

They need to have a super majority to spend and a super minority to cut spending. They should make raising taxes a 90% or better vote.

 

[Empty Hands]

That is supremely short-sighted. Why would they make it so much easier to spend money than to raise it?

The joys of the Proposition system. Prop 13, approved in 1978. Not only do all local and state governments need a 2/3 vote to raise taxes of any kind, the property tax rates have also been constitutionally set at no more than 1%. In the 30 years since however, the good people of California have not hesitated to vote themselves or demand ever expanding spending programs, vote for huge bond measures, or resist any sort of tax increase or spending cut.

"When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic." -Benjamin Franklin

 

[Big Don]

The "cause" of California's problems is a simple majority vote required for spending, and a 2/3rds supermajority vote required to raise taxes or otherwise raise money. They have managed to do as well as they have for so long as they have because the economy is massive. The voters of course demand increased services and cut taxes with every step as well.

How did Schwarzenegger win? He promised to get rid of the vehicle license fee, which he did. Then had to put a multi-billion dollar bond measure on the next ballot. Which the voters handily approved. This is what happens when you let the populist impulse take total control.

The biggest reason Schwarzenegger won, wasn't the vehicle license fee, it was all the idiots in CA voted for the most recognized name in the circus that was the recall/election, his name, obviously, much more recognized than Thom McClintock...