California's Budget

Okay, so here we are on February 16, 2009. This is a day we celebrate great Presidents in our past. George Washington - the man who cut down the cherry tree and our first President. Abraham Lincoln - the man who freed the slaves and was a great orator.

Yet, those of us who live in California do not see greatness when we look at our state Capitol. We see a mess. A lack of leadership. People who can't seem to find their way out of a paperbag. How bad is it? These people think they should tax their way out of a recession!

Okay, I know I stopped studying economics in undergrad. But, last time I checked, when you tax people, they spend less. So, what do our leaders do? A 1% sales tax increase. Okay, not bad. Then a 12 cent per gallon increase on the gas tax. So, each gallon of gas, which is already crazy expensive, will now go up by another 12 cents. For a 10 gallon car, that is a $1.20 increase. If you fill that up 2 times per week, we have over $100 per year less money to spend.

This is a tax that impacts lower income people disproportionately. While many upper class people can afford an extra $100 per year, if you make 50% less, that impacts you greater. So, a $100 tax on someone make $100,000 per year is very small. The same $100 tax on someone who makes $25,000 is quite large.

Yet, our government thinks this is the way out of the budget. Lets make people give us more money so we have money to spend. Not sure if they are aware of this, but if I give them more money, I have less money to give to businesses. Less money to buy things means the recession drags on.

Then, these geniuses decide that they should link this tax to a special election. Yes, we are going to have a special election in May in California. Special elections cost money. Oh that's right - we don't have any. Why don't we have any? Because the legislators spent it all!

Now, I understand we need to raise revenue. I am not anti-tax. I am just anti-unreasonable tax. Almost doubling the gas tax is unreasonable.

I think we should tax legislators. Yes, we should take their income and double the tax they pay. And we should double the tax of every past legislator for the last 10 years. Sure, it may be unconstitutional, but then maybe these morons will understand that not doing their job properly was unconstitutional as well.

Okay, here is a better idea: all of that money that these folks keep in accounts to run for new office should go to the deficit. They raise millions and millions of dollars to run for a new office when they haven't even done their jobs. Lets take that money!

Look you folks who are sitting in the Capitol and sleeping there: you should have done this months ago, if not years ago. Don't cry to me, Karen Bass, because you can't get a deal done now. You waited too long. You have no power. You should resign, and not just as speaker, but from the Assembly. You too, Darrel Steinberg. Your time has past. You failed to do your job - protect the residents of the state of California. Instead, you padded your own pocketbook.

Every member of the California legislature should resign now so you don't go down in history as the most incompetent group of people to even run a state. Assuming its not too late for that!