Rumors abound that the Big Five have agreed in concept to a budget solution. As the details of the plan are presented to the legislators who will have …
California Commentary
Shared Sacrifice in the Golden State
A couple of weeks ago the governor and legislative leaders took time out from the self-proclaimed budget crisis -- the governor has called it …
What Is A Real Spending Cap?
In 1979 the year immediately following the enactment of Prop 13 California voters approved Proposition 4 better know as the Gann Spending Limit. The …
What Budget Crisis?
Humans have been around for tens of thousands of years. And yet as recently as a thousand years ago there was a broad consensus -- even among the most …
Has the Governor Stepped back from the Brink?
From the perspective of California taxpayers last week was nothing short of extraordinary. In the political equivalent of a game of chicken an attempt …
Sacramento Bandits Use Every Trick to Get New Taxes
The governor and the majority in the Legislature are continuing to hold up already hard-pressed Californians for more money. Since we pay some of the …
Pension Tsunami
When the city of Vallejo filed for bankruptcy earlier this year it made national news. Among the alleged reasons for this financial debacle was as …
Surprise Attack on Proposition 13
In perhaps one of the most brazen political moves in California history Democrat leadership last week unveiled a budget proposal that would shred the …
The Millionaires’ Tax — A Double Failure
In 2004 voters narrowly approved Proposition 63 the Mental Heath Services Act (MHSA) which imposed an additional 1% tax on personal income above $1 …
Government for the Government
If Abraham Lincoln were delivering his Gettysburg Address today he might feel compelled to conclude "... that government for the government shall …