California nears financial "meltdown" as revenues tumble, page 1
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reply posted on 11-6-2009 @ 01:23 PM by grover
Three key elements are contributing to this disaster...

The first is the short sightedness of the writers of Prop. 13 in the late 70's. They put a clause in there requiring a 2/3 majority in the state legislature to raise taxes (I won't even get into the whole issue behind prop. 13 which was the freezing of property taxes at what they were in the late 70's or the subsequent subsidizing of municipalities by the state government to make up for the resulting revenue shortfalls)...

The second is the bullheadediness of the Democrats to resist cutting programs...

BUT that pales in comparison to the bullheadediness of the Republicans refusal to back any tax increases which are obviously needed since budget cuts alone simply won't do it.

The thing about the Republicans and this is true nationwide (and we have had to deal with it here in Va. as well) is that Grover Norquist's group has essentially blackmailed Republican legislators into signing a no tax increases pledge... if they refuse to his group works to unseat them... so they sign... then they hold it over their heads and threaten to work to unseat them if they back out of it.

Grover Norquist's group... Americans for Tax Reform has repeatedily stated that their goal is to encourage the running up of so much red ink that the state and federal governments will have no choice but to eliminate services whether the people want it or not.

I would not be surprised one iota if the next election cycle in California if both parties are roundly cleared out of office... which is what they deserve.
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