The Monkeys, err Legislators, in Sacramento, California have gone crazy. It's time to put the Monkeys away in the zoo by recalling them and voting them out of office.
If you can believe it, they're going to balance the budget by raising taxes and fees. Are you fucking kidding me? We're in a fucking recession - people have lost their jobs, salaries have been frozen or cut, raises have been canceled - and the fucking Monkeys want to add to our burden because "we are all expected to sacrifice." Here are the main points of their plan as we know it today:
Temporary Tax Hikes
- Nearly doubling vehicle license fee
- Raising sales taxes 1 cent
- Raising gasoline taxes 12 cents a gallon
- Surcharge of 2.5% to 5% on personal income taxes
Program Cuts
- $8 billion from public schools, community colleges (although some of these cuts may be offset by Federal aid from the Stimulus package)
- $890 million from state colleges, universities
- $459 million from public transit
To this I say, “FUCK OFF!” The state doesn't deserve an extra penny from us and here's why:
- During the good times, the state decided to spend the surplus RATHER than save it for a rainy day. They kept spending because 1) the Legislators wanted to pay back the special interests whose support got them elected and 2) they weren't smart enough to realize the surplus would stop one day (the good times were bound to end).
- The state's budget has doubled in the last 10 years. And what do we have to show for the extra spending? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of any consequence. The Educational system is still in the toilet, public transportation still sucks, roads are falling apart, prisons are overcrowded, and we still don't get decent service from any government office (State or Local).
- It's not only the state that has been impacted; we have been impacted by the economy as well. We've had to cut our expenses and live on less, so should the state. We can't just raise extra money by increasing taxes (like the state). If you own a business, you certainly can’t raise your prices as your customers will go elsewhere for their goods & services. If you’re an individual, you can’t get another job because businesses are cutting back and aren't fucking hiring; and you certainly can’t borrow from the banks because they aren't lending (and in some cases, banks are imploding).
- Do we honestly believe the tax hikes will be temporary? How much would you like to wager that program cuts will be funded back to their previous levels way before you hear any talk of the tax hikes & fee increases going away. If anything, you’ll hear that the tax hike and fee increases will be made permanent.
- The Legislators are taking the easy way out. Do your fucking job!!! Prioritize the items that need to be funded; then start cutting (i.e., stop funding) the items that either don't make the list or are on the bottom of the list until the budget is balanced.
Join me in calling and emailing the California State Legislators to stop this madness. It’s time to take back our state and put people in charge who are responsible to the people….not the FUCKING special interests!
PS - One more point to make: Raising taxes and fees to the point of equaling a rent/mortgage/car payment only makes us spend less and want to save more. In essence, you reduce consumer spending even more which then causes less tax revenue. So what happens when the state sees a further reduction in revenue???? Another fucking tax and fee increase. This vicious cycle won't end until the state reduces their spending or the state goes bankrupt!
