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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (147743)	10/21/2010 12:07:54 PM
From: Metacomet	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541962

So do you want a State with a slightly regressive sales tax that is thriving financially or a financial basket case like California? I know you aren't suggesting that this is the difference between the two states, at least I hope you aren't. Prop 13 was the brain fart that hobbled California. Holding property taxes to 60's levels on houses that appreciated to million dollar levels. It always comes down to greed and the power of the haves to dump the tax burden on the have nots. (Or Bush's characterization of his base as the the haves and have mores) The country is sunk if we can't figure out a way to stop that, and we damn sure aren't making any progress this election cycle.

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (147743)	10/21/2010 12:11:40 PM
From: Sam	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541962

So do you want a State with a slightly regressive sales tax that is thriving financially or a financial basket case like California? Steve, I won't pretend to know anything about the way Texas gets its revenue, but my guess is that the fact that they have a lot of oil is central to it, as it is with AK, another rugged individualist state that has no state income tax and gives tax rebates to its citizens.

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (147743)	10/21/2010 12:14:25 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541962

Our problem is that we had something and paid for it (and had a rainy day fund, $6B, IIRC, to boot) up until Prop 13 passed, and we are still trying to hang on to what we had without being able to create new revenue sources. Slowly, slowly we cut back stuff, but it's hard to give up the good life. Where we are now had its start 32 years ago. Fer instance, back then we were first in school spending per student. Now we are 49th. Is it right that the 8th largest economy in the world rank 49th in school spending in the US? Propping Up California's Budget By John Wildermuth The hugely popular Proposition 13 has had a cascade of unintended consequences. alumni.berkeley.edu "In 1960, California's average income was 135 percent of the national average," Brady said. "Today it's 105 percent or almost right in the national middle"