http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/taxandspend/ en-us Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:41:23 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087891/posts Frustrated by the longest budget impasse in California history, Democratic leaders are planning another ballot measure to end the two-thirds vote requirement in the Legislature to pass a state budget. Voters, by a 2-to-1 margin, defeated a similar effort in 2004 that would have also lowered the vote threshold to raise taxes from two-thirds to 55 percent. But incoming Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass say this year's budget – now 84 days late – underscores the need to re-visit the issue in 2010, or next year if there's a special election. California is one... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087891/posts#comment Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:41:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2079498/posts Ever since the California Taxpayers' Association endorsed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget -- which includes a temporary 1-cent sales tax hike -- conservative Republicans have gone on the offensive to discredit the 82-year-old taxpayers organization. The president of a rival taxpayer association said the group had been "rolled" by the governor. A regional vice-chairman of the Republican Party mocked them as "TaxCal." And on Tuesday, 31 of the 32 Assembly Republicans co-signed a letter blasting the group for making "a cynical political calculation" in supporting the governor's plan, which calls for the a permanent quarter-cent sales tax decrease after the... SacBee: Capitol Alert http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2079498/posts#comment Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:47:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2077875/posts Majority Democrats today predictably voted down Senate Republicans' state budget plan which relied on borrowing and deeper cuts in lieu of new taxes. With 27 votes needed for approval in the 40-member Senate, 13 Republicans supported the measure and 21 Democrats opposed it. Lawmakers now have defeated three plans put forward -- a version of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal, one by legislative Democrats and today's GOP plan. The state has gone 70 days into the fiscal year without an approved budget, blocking billions of dollars in state payments to community colleges, health and social service providers and vendors who do... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2077875/posts#comment Tue, 9 Sep 2008 04:00:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2077342/posts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has tried to cut state worker pay to the federal minimum wage until a state budget is done. He's tried laying off more than 10,000 part-time and temporary state workers. He's tried calling on voters to demand action from their legislators. He's tried calling for bipartisan cooperation. He's tried suggesting that lawmakers are cowards. He's tried abandoning his determination not to raise taxes. He's tried threatening to veto all bills. Still, California is officially in uncharted budget territory, without a spending plan for the 2008-09 fiscal year that began July 1. In search of a way to... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2077342/posts#comment Mon, 8 Sep 2008 14:55:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075709/posts Obama wants to be generous to poor people in Africa - with YOUR money, while his own half brother lives on $12 a YEAR. He is very stingy with his own. Despite making well over $1,000,000 in family income from 2000 to 2004, the Obamas listed less than $11,000 in charitable contributions for all five years combinedClick here for proof If you think the Obamas just didn't want to claim their legal deductions, they had no problem in 2005 and 2006. Also note that the year Obama became senator his income jumped 700% from $200,000 to over $1.6 MILLION. No... TaxProf http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075709/posts#comment Sat, 6 Sep 2008 00:40:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070361/posts Sacramento - -- The state Senate will vote today on a budget by Senate leader Don Perata that's similar to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest spending plan for California that's 60 days late. But whether Perata will get two Republican votes needed in addition to unanimous support from Democrats to meet the two-thirds requirement in the Senate remains unclear. One significant issue is the Oakland Democrat's proposal to increase the sales tax by a penny per dollar for three years. Republicans have said they will not support any tax increases to help erase the $17.2 billion budget gap that includes $2... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070361/posts#comment Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:08:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067900/posts "You can't cut the whole $15 billion," Schwarzenegger said, referring to the gaping hole in a $102-billion general fund. "You'd have to severely cut into education, which I don't think is the right thing. You would severely cut into health care, which is not the right thing to do. You would severely have to cut into prisons, and we can't do that." A good Republican trade-off for a one-cent-on-the-dollar sales tax increase for three years, he asserted, would be a long-term budget fix: A constitutional amendment requiring the state to transfer 3% of its annual revenue to a rainy-day fund... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067900/posts#comment Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:06:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066182/posts Buried in that 8,000 (!) word NYT magazine article about Obama's economic plan that I mentioned yesterday, is this bit flagged by Geraghty at Campaign Spot: “If you talk to Warren [Buffet], he’ll tell you his preference is not to meddle in the economy at all — let the market work, however way it’s going to work, and then just tax the heck out of people at the end and just redistribute it,” Obama said. “That way you’re not impeding efficiency, and you’re achieving equity on the back end.” He continued by saying that he thought there was some merit... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066182/posts#comment Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:43:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065715/posts Professor Hubbard explains that Obama's claim that he will increase the payroll tax by only 4% cannot be correct. This amount will not generate the revenue necessary to maintain even current levels of entitlement spending: "The new payroll tax hike is more modest than the one Mr. Obama hinted at last fall, which might have uncapped the payroll tax entirely. But it would also do very little to shore up Social Security, since it means that no more than 15% of Social Security's long-term funding gap would be closed. Thus, if Mr. Obama is indeed opposed to reductions in Social... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065715/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:34:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065203/posts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger went public Wednesday with yet another state budget proposal, one that he said reflects a true compromise between Republican and Democratic goals for a spending plan. The proposal includes a three-year, one-cent increase in the sales tax, an effort to build a bigger state savings account for rainy days, and more spending cuts than he proposed when he released his last set of ideas in May. With no budget agreement in sight in the Legislature 51 days into the fiscal year, Schwarzenegger said the lack of a budget is "shameful." "Many Medi-Cal hospitals are not getting paid,... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065203/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:14:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064729/posts Budget negotiations between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and four Legislative leaders fell apart Tuesday when one of the Republican leaders stormed out of the meeting, angrily charging that the talks "are not helpful." "Frankly, I was very frustrated when leaving that meeting," Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines from Clovis (Fresno County), said in an interview. "I'm tired of walking into (these meetings) and the only thing that's being talked about is more tax increases." Tuesday's meeting between the "Big Five" - the governor, and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate and Assembly - was the group's first in more... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064729/posts#comment Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:31:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064285/posts The central focus of Sunday's four-hour Assembly debate over the long-stalled state budget was the Democrats' $6.7 billion package of new taxes. Republicans complained loudly that with California's economy mired in recession, raising taxes would be counterproductive, making the state less hospitable to business and propelling investment elsewhere. Democrats countered that there's no evidence that California's above-average tax burden has stymied business investment or profits. Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, was especially adamant on that point, citing statistics about the state's robust – until recently – economy. Leno's floor speech was tinged with irony, however, because he's carrying legislation that... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064285/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:07:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064264/posts SACRAMENTO — Assemblyman Sandre Swanson is convinced that the only way to avoid lengthy budget stalemates in the future is to strip the minority party of what he calls its out-sized influence. The Oakland Democrat is among a handful of East Bay lawmakers who want voters to overturn the constitutional requirement that two-thirds of the Legislature must approve the budget. Now in its 50th day, the budget standoff is threatening to spill into next month as both parties remain far apart on finding a solution to the state's estimated $15.2 billion deficit. "It just has to change, and citizens will... Contra Costa Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064264/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:45:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063575/posts SACRAMENTO (AP) -- California's Republican lawmakers on Sunday rejected a Democratic proposal for $6.6 billion in tax increases on the wealthy and corporations despite an offer to boost the state's rainy day fund. The failed vote now pushes California's budget impasse into its eighth week with no compromise in sight. The 45-30 vote in the state Assembly was the first since the state began its new fiscal year July 1 without a budget. It came after four hours of debate during which 49 of the Assembly's 80 members spoke. Democrats offered a revised tax plan that's smaller than the $8.2... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063575/posts#comment Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:18:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063540/posts With a budget vote looming, Assembly Democrats this afternoon released a summary of the key proposals they will push.The Assembly is scheduled to vote today on a new budget, 48 days after the state began the new fiscal year with no spending plan.Republicans are not expected to support the budget proposal because its centerpiece is an income tax increase on California's wealthiest residents. Today's vote is politically important, nonetheless, because it could show whether any Assembly members are wavering on their party's position. The state Senate is not expected to meet.Assembly Speaker Karen Bass characterized the budget proposal as a... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063540/posts#comment Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:13:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063458/posts California's unemployment rate soared to 7.3 percent in July, with nearly 400,000 more workers in the jobless ranks than a year earlier, indicating that we still haven't hit bottom in this recession. What started out as a sudden meltdown in the housing industry has spread to many other sectors, most obviously retail sales. Auto dealers are closing their doors throughout the state, and the Mervyns department store chain has sought bankruptcy protection, to cite but two examples. Steve Levy, who runs the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy, has devised a "misery index" of unemployment and inflation... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063458/posts#comment Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:17:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062780/posts If you've been paying attention to California's chronic budget problems, you know that they fundamentally stem from a disastrous decision in 2000 by then-Gov. Gray Davis and legislators of both parties to squander a one-time windfall of revenue on permanent spending increases and tax cuts that could not be sustained over the long haul. It was, however, just one of three similarly irresponsible decisions during Davis' governorship, which was cut short by his recall in 2003. A second was to sharply increase state worker pensions on the assurances of the union-dominated California Public Employees' Retirement System that they could be... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062780/posts#comment Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:07:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062110/posts Cancel those Sunday plans: The Assembly and the Senate have tentatively scheduled floor votes on a budget bill that day. It does not mean a deal is imminent. Lawmakers want a floor vote by this weekend to meet a deadline set by Secretary of State Debra Bowen for placing measures on the November ballot. Many see the deadline as a moving target, however, and believe the vote Sunday may be the first in several floor exercises before a final deal is struck. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, said lawmakers plan to vote Sunday on a modified version of the... SacBee: CapitolAlert http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062110/posts#comment Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:35:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061781/posts Republican lawmakers have it within their sights to enact what could be the most far-reaching reform of state budgeting in modern times. The deal on the table would create a real rainy day fund, setting aside monies during boom years to use when state tax revenues fall. The effect would be to slow the growth of state spending and reduce pressure to raise taxes – a top priority for the GOP. The deal would also give the governor new authority to cut certain spending in midyear if revenues were to dip below a set threshold. For Republicans, this would be... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061781/posts#comment Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:04:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059068/posts Senator Barack Obama Delivers the Democratic Radio Address This is Senator Barack Obama. This morning, I’d like to talk to you about why America needs to move in a new direction. In recent days, we’ve seen two stark examples of exactly what’s wrong with Washington, and what’s at stake in this election. First, we learned that the federal budget deficit could reach nearly half a trillion dollars next year. Eight years after we had a record surplus, we’re now faced with record deficits. This mortgaging of our children’s future is a direct result of the Bush Administration’s dangerously failed fiscal... Democrats.Org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059068/posts#comment Sat, 9 Aug 2008 15:41:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058594/posts At least 29 states plus the District of Columbia, including several of the nation’s largest states, faced an estimated $48 billion in combined shortfalls in their budgets for fiscal year 2009 (which began July 1, 2008 in most states.) At least three other states expect budget problems in fiscal year 2010. In general, states closed these budget gaps through some combination of spending cuts, use of reserves or revenue increases when they adopted a fiscal year 2009 budget. At this point in the year, most states have already adopted those budgets; only two states — California and Michigan — continue... Center for Budget and Policy Priorities http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058594/posts#comment Fri, 8 Aug 2008 15:08:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057408/posts Overall, Democrats deserve credit for being forthright about intending to close much of the state's budget deficit with new taxes, in contrast with Republicans who say they want deep reductions in spending but refuse to say what should be cut. That said, the details of how Democrats would generate more than $10 billion in tax revenues, roughly two-thirds of the projected 2008-09 deficit, leave much to be desired – even if one accepts the underlying premise that the state's fiscal problem is essentially a lack of revenues. The plan's core is tapping the most affluent Californians through higher income taxes,... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057408/posts#comment Wed, 6 Aug 2008 14:52:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057405/posts It took nearly five years, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke his no-tax pledge in an effort to break a budget deadlock.It was the right thing to do, even if we would have preferred a more progressive alternative to the governor's proposed temporary one-cent increase in the sales tax. But let there be no doubt: The $4 billion tax increase would have less of an impact on low-income Californians than a commensurate cut in state programs.Now the challenge will be for Schwarzenegger to persuade a handful of Republicans to break their own no-tax pacts that have all but frozen any meaningful... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057405/posts#comment Wed, 6 Aug 2008 14:45:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057063/posts Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata today welcomed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed 1-cent sales tax hike as "a start," but declared budget negotiations are at an impasse and said he does not expect a quick resolution. Perata's comments, following a Senate session, were his first since Schwarzenegger proposed the temporary sales tax increase over the weekend in an effort to bridge the state's $15.2 billion deficit and bring an end to the 36-day budget standoff. "I'm glad the governor has come around to saying publicly what we've known all along - that we have to have taxes in order to... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057063/posts#comment Tue, 5 Aug 2008 22:28:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056548/posts SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed during private budget negotiations over the weekend to close the state's $15.2-billion deficit with a temporary one-cent hike in the state sales tax, to take effect immediately, according to Democratic and Republican legislative sources. The proposal, floated in meetings with legislative leaders and their staff, hinges on lawmakers agreeing to spending restraints to control the growth of government and give governors authority to cut programs whenever the state falls into the red. Lawmakers and staffers close to budget negotiations said the governor, who has repeatedly vowed never to raise taxes, would not support the... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056548/posts#comment Tue, 5 Aug 2008 00:42:24 GMT