California in retreat on social service spending
During his first governorship more than three decades ago, Jerry Brown warned that California was entering an "era of limits."
The austere state budget he proposed this week is a stark acknowledgment that the Golden State has now reached them. The Democratic governor's spending plan takes large steps toward dismantling much of California's once-vaunted social safety net.
Brown proposes cutting welfare services again as the state continues its struggle to shake off the effects of a deep and persistent recession. He would continue years of reductions in Medi-Cal, child care and home health aid. He would eliminate the Healthy Families program, which was a significant expansion of healthcare in California when enacted in 1997 and serves nearly 900,000 children.
Brown was visibly frustrated as he detailed what he described as the "tough medicine" California needs to balance its books but said a $9.2-billion deficit had forced his hand.
full: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-state-budget-20120107,0,746147.story
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)Just keeps taking.
Even before we entered the Greatest Depression, California's public school children were inside a system that ranked something like 28th out of the fifty states.
Due to the fact that Corporations like Disney, Intel, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, et al pay whatever tax rate applied to the purchase date of their real estate holdings, others must make up that lost revenue. For example, the little people in California have to pay close to eight percent sales tax. And businesses flee California, as the only way to make up for the lack of Real Estate property tax is to hit businesses hard.
Prop Thirteen was passed because the notion was that if there was no property tax relief, then little old ladies who had inherited the family home would be living inside cardboard boxes. But there was no cap put in place in terms of home's worth. And the Corporations were included in the tax relief benefit, though for Pete's sake, defense contractors can certainly afford to pay taxes on property they hold.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)who hold their collective breath until they turn blue every time the word "tax" or "revenue" is uttered.
We are the only oil-producing jurisdiction IN THE WORLD that does not have an oil severance tax.
Our liquor tax has not been raised since the 1960s.
Our tobacco tax is lower than that of New Jersey, according to Mom, who was amazed by the bargain smokes on her recent visit here.
Commercial property has, in effect, benefited from a tax freeze since Prop 13, because most of it changes hands through shell corporations, thereby avoiding reassessment. Gov. Brown actually made some noises about that last June during the final budget skirmish, but, well, you know.
Then there are the corporations, most of which shirk their state tax duty at least as assiduously as their Federal one.
tblue
(16,350 posts)If it was wealthy people dying, for whatever reason, no expense would be spared. I'm not just saying that. The poor don't count, even to a Democratic governor. It's just another case of, "it's really unfortunate but..."
We could raise taxes. It wouldn't kill any wealthy person to cough up a few bucks to keep their fellow Californians alive.
mzteris
(16,232 posts)all the damn useless paper they waste.
We're a company in WI doing business in CA. We signed up for ELECTRONIC PAYMENT of our taxes in CA. They send us, every damn quarter an envelope FULL of RETURN ENVELOPES AND FORMS (more than you would need for the quarter even if you WERE still filing on paper!)
Makes me crazy!
Politicub
(12,162 posts)It breaks the back of one of the progressive states and is the gift that keeps on giving. It makes no sense to freeze property tax rates over the long term.
Of course it benefits people who pay hardly nothing in tax... There's never going to be a majority to repeal it or amend it.
Gringostan
(127 posts)America; in retreat about caring for one another. That should be the headline.
madrchsod
(58,162 posts)but our labor was sold off to the lowest bidder. hell, chinese workers cut up the kaiser steel works and it was sent it back to china.
it`s just not california..it`s every state in the union.