Local agencies feel like road kill (SacBee r.e. VLF rollback)

[Don Claybrook]

The governor's rollback of the vehicle license fee this week may make car owners smile, but the loss of crucial revenue has sent a potentially crippling hit to most California cities and counties.
If the state doesn't soon find money to refund the loss of fee revenue, municipalities face wiping out reserves, laying off workers and cutting fire and police budgets, city and county officials said.

Effects will be felt throughout the Sacramento region: Sacramento County alone will lose almost $9 million a month and eventually could be forced to cut 1,095 jobs.
(snip)
The governor cannot appropriate money, but Schwarzenegger has said he wants the state to pay local governments enough to cover the lost revenue. On Monday he said he was looking to the Legislature to find the cash. But a furious Senate President Pro Tem John Burton said Thursday that it was the governor's responsibility to identify where the funds should come from.

"I'm not the guy who took the money away," Burton shouted. "Who likes someone to throw a turd in the punch bowl at their daughter's wedding? Not I."
(more)

Link: http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/ca/budget/story/7823481p-8764256c.html

Budgets have already been cut to the bone as much as possible. This will add immediate and very deep cuts in cities and counties statewide. When will voters (in California and in the rest of the nation) decide that taxes (and car registration fees) aren't necessarily the root of all evil?

[Don_G]

1. It's Not Just California

A county in Kentucky went to a 4-day school week to save money, another state is considering eliminating the 12th grade and the Baltimore Zoo has laid off 20 people and 400 animals.

It's getting worse and the Rethuglican controlled media can't hide it much longer. Word is leaking out all over.

[Don Claybrook]

2. I know this isn't funny

But I do have the most absurd visual of tigers and elephants standing in line at the Baltimore unemployment office. :)

But seriously, zoos, symphonies, arts funding (in and out of schools), parks--all of those public works and spaces that help to make life worth living, they're the first to be cut. And I think that most localities have moved well beyond those budget items and now they're looking at the police and firefighters and the duration of public education.

This is slowly killing our nation, as sure as I'm typing these words.

[Melsky]

3. What is wrong with car registration fees?

Cars should be taxed like that, because they cost us a lot of money as a society - road upkeep, accidents, police, polution, etc. I also think anyone who has luxury cars should pay a higher percentage of tax than someone with a regular car.

I live in a town that is going to be hard hit by the loss of funding. It's a very Republican town.

[Don Claybrook]

4. I used to do a lot of work in 29 Palms

The last time I was there, one of the churches had a sign that said something like "God, Guns, and Guts", presumably explaining to the parishoners how it was OK with God to kill people, as long as you were doing it for the USMC.

There didn't seem to be a lot to do in town in the evenings, but the Holiday Inn does have free high-speed internet connections, so I could at least read and post on Democratic Underground.

Anyway, do you think the Republican voters in your part of the state will begin to "get it" soon, or not?

[OldSoldier]

5. Republican voters don't ever "get it"

To a Republican, there's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by cutting "welfare." Yeah, cut out all that nasty welfare and America will be whole again.

The problem is, they consider all governmental social and quality-of-life expenditures to be welfare.

[Melsky]

6. I very much doubt it

honestly I'm not in the loop with most of these people. I live 15 miles from town way out in the desert, and do most of my socializing online. I can't read the newspaper as it is the most self righteous right wing propaganda sheet I've ever encountered. I also think arnold was pretty popular out here, being a real he-man and anti-tax and all that.

God, guts and guns is about the level here. That's why I don't go into town much. We do also have a lot of artists who have come from urban areas because of the cheap land and beautiful desert scenery.


A sign on the big highway that goes near my house. Popular sentiment around here. It's the John Birch Society.