How about no new taxes on struggling taxpayers?

November 20th, 2008, 11:35 am · 1 Comment · posted by Mark Landsbaum

How did this kind of thinking not only become a minority argument in the Legislature, but an ever-shrinking minority’s argument?

“Our primary problem in California is that the state continues to spend too much money on a government that is far too large,” writes Dave Cogdill, the Republican from Modesto leading the minority party Republicans in that house. “. . . The idea of raising taxes to solve our budget woes makes even less sense now than it did last summer, which is why Republicans in the Legislature continue to remain firm in our opposition to the Democrats’ go-to ’solution’.”

Perhaps Californians have become so enamored with the idea of taxing someone else to enrich themselves, they deserve the Democrat-Schwarzenegger approach.

Maybe a dose of even higher taxes will finally awaken them to the self-destructiveness of tax-and-spend government.

Maybe then Cogdill and company will attract a few more supporters and cease to be the minority view. Maybe.

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Orange Punch bloggers write from a particular libertarian point of view. We’re dedicated to advancing human freedom and believe that the primary role of government is to defend Americans’ liberties. We seek a smaller, more limited government, expanded and freer trade at home and abroad, open markets and secure property rights. We believe in the power and goodwill of the individual; that he or she will aspire to a better tomorrow for themselves, for their family and for the community. We would hope for people to exercise integrity and self-responsibility along the way. The bloggers are Alan Bock, Brian Calle and Mark Landsbaum. The genesis of this particular brand of libertarianism is R.C. Hoiles, founder, Freedom Communications, Inc., parent company of the Orange County Register.

rlh says:

November 20, 2008 at 1:51 pm

The “don’t raise taxes” sentiment is noble. I don’t like paying them either (all you who do, please line up for the asylum - the trucks are on their way). The problem, though, is the size of the shortfall we face - which you in other posts have noted is probably even worse than the folks in Sacramento have owned up to yet. The question thus becomes, what do we do? How can we close that gap? Can it be done solely by cutting state exepditures, to the tune of something around $14 billion this year alone (at last count)?

I’d welcome Mr. Codgill, or anyone else, putting forward a realistic proposal that shows us how to do that, and I’d happily examine it with an open mind (one person’s needless and wasteful expenditure may be another’s necessary outlay, of course, and that’s the sort of political debate we should and usually do have).

But I fear that the notion of closing that huge gap solely by spending cuts is a fantasy. The obly way to address the shortfalls we face is to put everything on the table - and that means, and has to mean, literally everything, spending outlays and revenue sources alike. We’re not in a position to say that anything is sacred or sacrosanct. I don’t like being in that position, and there should and will be a time to evaluate how we got to this point, but the task immediately before us is to right the ship. Figuring out where we steered wrong has to wait.

Unfortunately, Mr. Codgill (along, to be fair, with his colleagues in both parties) has yet to produce a credible, detailed, and specific plan for balancing our books. His rhetoric about our having a bloated government, thus, is little more than that - hot air. We really need something a bit more useful right now.

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