Taxes!! Lying Legislators and The Terminator

I've got a son who is about to turn 14 and has always been pretty bright. He's been an excellent student, almost straight A's, and he's a pretty decent kid overall. Like most teen boys he loves his Xbox, and the Internet. Unlike most teen boys he's usually reading two or three books at a time, and he also listens to talk radio.... So how does a teen boy spend his Saturday afternoon?

Turns out my son spent it at KFI's Tax Revolt 2009, which blows me away. I don't know one adult, including myself, that took the time to go. And really what the hell is Tax Revolt 2009? Turns out that it's actually a pretty important little gathering on a topic that affects he all, but I'd bet not one in ten Californians even knows about.

The budget fiasco that was in the news a few weeks back seemed to have gotten it's happy ending, but it didn't cost the usual $20 bucks. It actually cost about 28 billion dollars!! $28,000,000,000.00 This is the amount of new taxes we've been saddled with for the next 2 years... The cost for your car tags will double, the state sales tax us going up 9.25%, and now we will all be paying a "surcharge" on our income tax... Yes a tax on a tax. This budget also includes borrowing against future lottery sales ( supposed to be used only for schools), as well as using cigarette tax money ( supposed to be for healthcare if I remember correctly), and taking money from the millioaire taxes ( was supposed to fund mental health services).

This budget was passed by a shady, super secret, behind closed doors, and behond the green curtain alliance of Democrats, Republicans, and The Terminator. So what...? The Terminator was elected the first time so he could control wasteful government spending, and reduce our taxes. He was re-elected on a promise of NO NEW TAXES, and even campaigned for McCain saying Obama was going to raise our taxes. So what does he do? Signs a budget with the biggest single tax increase of any state in history...

The republicans in the state all run for office screaming how they'll never increase taxes. They even signed a no new taxes pledge this budget year, several of them went on KFI and on a show with about 3 million listeners promised no new taxes. The state of California needs a two thirds majority vote to pass new taxes, so the state democrats needed 3 republicans to renig their promise on the taxes, and they got them. Although it was a big production with lots of sleepless nights, and the legislators "locked in" until the budget passed, it was actually over easily. The republicans selected 3 people amongst themselves as a "sacrifice" to vote yes on the taxes and take the flack from the news and the public. One of the lambs got caught on radio admitting to it, saying he'd be "taken care of" later by the party.

The democrats of course are unabashed. We need more money, we're not cutting spending, and you the public will pay for it... Shameless but honest, what else to say?

If it's all said and done, the fat lady gave us her best, why is my son still out there revolting (and why aren't all of us there with him)? Turns out we're about to be propositioned... And not for a $20 happy ending. We are being offered two more years of higher taxes under the guise of a spending cap. Prop 1A in the special election promises to cap government spending, sort of... If the state revenues, pronounced taxes, increase the legislature can still increase spending. Also by "capping spending" we agree to let the legislature tax us for a total of 5 years instead of 2 at all the higher rates.

Not only are we voting to keep taxes higher, we are being lied to about it. Every election we get a voter guide, the little paper booklet that "explains" the props and gives the pro's and con's. It's supposed to be written by an impartial person, the person is selected by the legislature, and guess who's writing up Prop 1A. A tax loving democrat is writing both the pro and con, and omitting entirely that it will extend the taxes to 5 years. The terminator knows both of these things and he is out campaigning for the prop. The republicans know this and are keeping totally quiet, not a peep, not a complaint. The democrats are the architects of this and will not ever mention it.

As I write this Prop 1A is actually ahead in the polls... As I write this my 13 year old son has done more about this than anybody I know... We are a state and country of apathetic whiners, we suffer because we can't get off our asses and go complain, vote, spread the word. In short we suck, we are shitty citizens. I hope my son can maintain his interest in the political system, with the job we're doing his generation will be screwed. They will need so much help to get out of the hole we're digging them. And by the way there are 4 more shifty props out there. And we can still make a difference, and the fat lady isn't quite done... And maybe a 13 year old boy can shame us into action..,

Annoying Ads, Our Lying Legislators, and The Terminator

So two hours into the vast empire of Blogdom I've already decided to feed the corporate beast that is Google Inc., I've decided to see if I can generate some cash here with some Internet ads. Times are hard and I need to feed the corporate beast that is McDonald's (and many other fine fast food establishments), and the corpulent beast that is my stomach. And lets certainly not forget 4 teenage kids, three hungry dogs, and my lovely wife (gorgeous beast). Since I love living the "American Dream" lets add on: a mortgage, three cars and their associated expenses, cable, Internet (my yellow brick road to riches), the indispensable cell phones (all 5 of them), and ad nauseum.... So all of these fantastic services and objects have taxes attached to them: sales tax, gas tax, property tax, Internet surtax, federal surtaxes on phones and so on (now I'm nauseated). All of this so that we may collectively feed the unholiest of all beasts: Our duly elected government.

Our state government has a constitutional duty to have a balanced budget by June 30th of each year, and this year our budget for June 30th, 2008 was done by February, of 2009... Hooray for us we have a budget!!! Its a budget that's 111 billion dollars ($111,000,000,000.00), not to mention the additional billions of federal matching funds and directed funds. So why exactly are the state legislature and governor crying over money? Why is the richest state in the union, the sixth largest economy of the world on the verge of bankruptcy? So what took so long to get a budget together? At home we all have budgets, you pay the important bills, and if your lucky you have a little extra for the drugs and the midget porn at the end of the month.

California has a mini-congress set up, two houses of reps, and the make the budget and The Terminator signs it and everybody is happy. For the past five years though the state has been spending more than it collects in revenue (that's politico speak for the second highest tax rate in America). Every year the size of the state budget has increased ever since Arnold promised to stop wasteful spending from about 75 billion 5 years ago to our current bloated balance sheet.

The legislators here in the sunshine state come in two flavors, Democrat & Republican. The Democrats have been shameless in saying that its their job to "redistribute wealth" and maintain social programs, translation, if you make a decent income your going to be flipped over and done dry... The Republicans on the other hand are against taxation, to a degree, they want to lower taxes on business and wealthy people for a "trickle down effect", as the rich and businesses prosper they hire more and provide insurance and security to the working class, trickling down money to us common folk. You also get a trickle down effect when the upstairs neighbor overflows the toilet, in either case both are full of shit and you suffer for it.

You and me and the collective "we" all pay for welfare, food stamps, medi-cal etc. We also pay for public schools, fire and police departments, as well as the prison system. Unfortunately for us our social welfare programs have no over site and no time limits and nobody keeping an eye on where the money goes. What we do have is Democratically controlled state congress that thinks this is an excellent way to run things, and an impotent Republican minority that has just bent over and cried uncle under the pressure of the ruling party.

I'm slipping into an ugly rant here, and this is getting a little long.... I'll do the cliff-hanger and try and wrap it up in another part...