Now that the dust has settled from all the mud-slinging that occurred throughout the national political landscape for months prior to November 6th, the resulting carnage, particularly here in California, can now be objectively assessed. And let me tell you, the assessment ain’t pretty!
For those of you who got baited and hooked by the ridiculous chum surrounding the alleged negative impact to schools if Proposition 30 failed to pass (school year to be reduced by two weeks; teacher lay-offs; increased college tuition, etc., none of which, by the way, was written into the ballot measure and thus was indeed nothing but scare tactics inflamed by Jerry Brown, state Democrats and the teachers unions) allow me to relieve you of the #6 Eagle Claw imbedded in your lip! Prop 30 is going to cost all of us thousands of dollars each year by the increase of the state sales tax, not just “the rich making more than $250,000 annually”. That’s just wonderful! Money that you and I could spend for necessities or invest in our IRA’s instead will go to the state General Fund, where the projected $6 billion in proceeds will likely be diverted to prop-up the teacher’s pension program, which is only 70% funded and still in decline. That money will not go to the class room and reduce teacher-student ratios, as advertised. Is your mouth agape and sore? This is nothing; there’s more!
By far the most alarming result of the state election is the fact that both the Assembly and Senate are now two-thirds populated by Democrats. This super-majority translates into the horror that until the 2014 elections, Democrats can pass any tax increases they want so long as they stay united. By law, the California legislature cannot pass any tax increase without at least two-thirds of the membership in both the Assembly and Senate voting in favor. The Democrats now have that majority! Republicans and Independents will have no method to prevent the Democrats aim to get deeper into our wallets. Mark my words, you can plan on spending more of your money on tax increases in the following areas of your life:
~Car registration taxes (I refuse to call them “fees” or “revenues” as the slippery liberals in Sacramento refer to taxes) will at least double from current rates. If you are like most families and own two cars, that’s at least a couple of hundred dollars hit to your budget each year
~Service taxes will be imposed on industries such as those in legal, accounting, financial investing, veterinarian, and yes, even your yoga and Pilates classes!
~Taxes on “junk” food and sugar-heavy consumer products, similar to those taxes imposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the city of New York
~Our gas tax, already the second-highest in the nation at 36 cents per gallon, will also rise. The California Air Resources Board, in concert with Governor Jerry Brown, will continue their fanatical drive to impose their will to have all Californians either using public transportation or battery-powered vehicles to reduce greenhouse gases and the effects of alleged global warming.
Before labeling me a “chicken little”, do some research on these proposed tax increases for yourself. They have been topics of discussion for years, and the only road block has been the lack of a two-thirds majority in the Assembly and Senate. Jerry Brown will continue to pontificate that he wants any tax increases put to the voters. Baloney! He doesn’t have the power to back that claim; Brown can be over-ridden by Darrell Steinberg and John Perez if they have the votes in the Senate and Assembly respectively, which they now do.
In closing, I hope all of you who voted in favor of Proposition 30 and against Proposition 32 for reasons only provided by media sound bites will in the future follow one of two guidelines when making voting decisions. Either get yourself educated on the real facts of a proposition and candidate by performing your own due-diligence. There is a wealth of information available on the web for you to make a sound and balanced decision in a short investment of time. Or, just don’t even bother to vote. Avoid the baited hooks of liberals in the state Democratic Party and public employee union lies. A non-vote is better than making a bad vote!
