End Budget Gridlock-Vote Yes on Prop 25

Proposition 25 lowers the threshold for passing a budget to a simple majority vote. This would take California out of the less than distinguished company of Rhode Island and Arkansas. California has been the laughing stock of the Country with it's later than late budgets. New York, Illinois, Texas all big states like California have been passing their budgets on time with a simple majority and they have not fallen in to the void that the opposition says we will.

I read an Op Ed piece in the Sacramento Bee last Friday July 23^rd  by Teresa Casazza who is the President of the California Taxpayers Assn organization that wants services that make our state more competitive with other states but doesn't want to pay for them. They are the organization that values low taxes over health care for the poor. Casazza claims it's the public employee labor unions that are behind this measure. I say it's the people that are behind this measure.

Ms. Casazza says if Prop 25 passes future budget will be balanced on the backs of the California Tax payers. Yes we may have to pay more taxes to get California moving again. California needs to invest in its transportation, infrastructure, education, public safety and state parks. Nothing is free. We all have to help make California a great state and that may mean paying more taxes on some occasion. Passage of Prop 25 will mean we will get budgets done on time. It will mean the opposition party will have to collaborate or be rendered irrelevant.

It will also mean if the voters don't like what the Legislature is doing with this new authority to pass budgets with a simple majority, they can throw them out of office. It puts the responsibility on the Legislature to do good work and pass balanced budgets on time.

We need to tax the higher income folks who are not paying their fair share of taxes to support this great state. The very folks who are screaming that Prop 25 will mean more taxes are the ones benefiting from tax exempt schemes and are gaming the system on the backs of the middle class and the poor.

The entire time I worked in the Legislature I dreaded the budget cycle because I knew the Republicans would not vote for a budget with fees and some taxes because of their pledge of "No New Taxes." I hated the budget cycle because the Legislature descended into chaos. It was embarrassing and difficult because we legislative employees did not get paid, as if we were responsible for the budget crisis.

Let's make California a mature state like New York and Illinois and Texas who pass their budgets on time each year. Be Smart California and Pass Proposition 25.

Print this report | Send to a friend

---

Browse in : [ Reports ]

Ratings