BIG SPENDERS READY TO DO THEIR WORST POLITICIANS SEE DEMAND FOR TAX HIKES.Byline: Tom McClintock Thomas Miller "Tom" McClintock (born July 10, 1956 in White Plains, New York) is a California State Senator. He ran for Governor of California in the 2003 California recall election of Gray Davis and finished third out of 135 candidates with 13.5% of the overall vote. LOCAL VIEW THE last time California's finances were as messed up as they are today was in 1991, and it happened in much the same way. State officials had spent everything in sight during an economic expansion, and when the economy slowed they were left dangling in the gulch between their boom-time appetites and their recession-racked revenues. Any well-managed household would have cut out the waste in its budget, but not California. State officials increased total spending by 9.4 percent and tried to pay for it with the biggest tax increase in American history - more than $1,100 in new taxes for an average family of four, just to get the state through those tough economic times, they said. Unfortunately, California's families were going through those same tough economic times, and the additional taxes broke their backs, imploded im·plode v. im·plod·ed, im·plod·ing, im·plodes v.intr. To collapse inward violently. v.tr. 1. To cause to collapse inward violently. 2. the economy and turned a serious recession into a near-depression. Eleven years have passed since those bitter days, and California's leaders appear to have learned precisely nothing. A 37 percent increase in state spending in the last three years has again left the state without the ability to cope with a new recession. And again from Sacramento's solons comes the siren song of tax increases. The sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. hike that took effect on New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. has already reduced the purchasing power Purchasing Power 1. The value of a currency expressed in terms of the amount of goods or services that one unit of money can buy. Purchasing power is important because, all else being equal, inflation decreases the amount of goods or services you'd be able to purchase. 2. of an average family by $120, but that's just the overture. ``Maybe I'm misreading MISREADING, contracts. When a deed is read falsely to an illiterate or blind man, who is a party to it, such false reading amounts to a fraud, because the contract never had the assent of both parties. 5 Co. 19; 6 East, R. 309; Dane's Ab. c. 86, a, 3, Sec. 7; 2 John. R. 404; 12 John. R. the public,'' Assemblywoman Carole Migden Carole Migden represents the third district in the California State Senate. The Third State Senate district covers parts of San Francisco, all of Marin County and parts of Sonoma County. , D-San Francisco, told a news conference a few weeks ago, ``but I think people would be more than happy to throw back a few bucks to help working families, vaccinate vac·ci·nate v. To inoculate with a vaccine in order to produce immunity to an infectious disease such as diphtheria or typhus. vac kids and provide quality schooling.'' To help those working families, she then proposed tripling their car tax. An average two-car family would end up paying an extra $268 under her proposal in direct taxes - not to mention an additional $200 in higher prices as businesses pass along their costs. Meanwhile, Sen. Don Perata Don Perata (born April 30, 1945) is a California Democratic politician, who is the current President pro tempore of the California State Senate. He was elected to the post of President Pro Tempore in 2004. , D-Oakland, is sponsoring an additional 1 cent sales tax increase, to combat ``terrorism.'' ``It's easy to put the symbol of freedom on your lapel, but it's a little harder to pay for it,'' he said. Indeed it is. About $545 harder on an average family of four's purchasing power. California's state government already spends the highest portion of personal income in history: $9.09 out of every $100 earned. At the height of World War II, from 1943-45, when California faced an elaborate network of spies and saboteurs, it only spent $2.33 of every $100 earned. But of course, those were days when our leaders were careful how they spent our money. Gov. Mike Huckabee  This article or section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election.Content may change as the election approaches. of Arkansas recently proposed an answer to the tax-me-more crowd in his state. He opened a Tax Me More Fund for all those people who would be more than happy to throw back a few bucks. ``To those folks who live in luxury, who have more money than good sense, I'd like to offer them this challenge, ... to pay whatever it would take to make them feel better,'' Huckabee said. So far, a grand total of $260 has been raised. If Assemblywoman Migden is right, California would do much better. Obviously, we haven't made it clear that the line on your tax form that says ``tax due'' is only a suggested minimum. A separate Tax Me More fund would undoubtedly raise billions of additional dollars that legislators have neglected to request. It would accommodate all those people who are clamoring to throw back a few bucks to a government that is already spending more and delivering less than ever in its history. And, at the same time, we'll have spared California's working families another crushing round of new taxes in a cold and difficult winter recession. |
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