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Brown tosses tax plan to voters

December 6, 2011

Gov. Jerry Brown

The governor wants you to approve a new, $7 billion tax package “to get the state back on track.”

In an “open letter” emailed Monday to Californians, Gov. Jerry Brown said he has filed an initiative to place on the 2012 ballot a measure asking voters to approve dedicated funding to “protect education and public safety.” Signatures of registered voters now will be solicited to qualify the plan.

Brown noted that conflicts with Republican state lawmakers have prevented him from dealing with California’s current $26.6 billion budget deficit with a legislatively-approved ballot measure. Brown said he doesn’t know how people would have voted, “but we will never know. The Republicans refused to provide the four votes needed to put this measure to the people.”

Deep budget cuts, which Brown said Democrats “reluctantly” approved, “came at a huge cost. Schools have been hurt and state funding for our universities has been reduced by 25 percent. Support for the elderly and the disabled has fallen to where it was in 1983.  Our courts suffered debilitating reductions.”

Brown’s plan proposes a temporary tax increase on the wealthy, a “modest and temporary increase” in the sales tax, and guarantees that the new revenues be spent only on education and public safety.

Millionaires and high-income earners will pay up to two percent higher income taxes for five years.

“No family making less than $500,000 a year will see their income taxes rise. In fact, fewer than two percent of California taxpayers will be affected by this increase,” Brown said.


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Is it a coincidence Brown passed the Ca Dream Act not that long ago and now wants to increase taxes to “protect education”?


I also will vote NO. HELL NO!


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No, it wasn’t a coincidence. Governor Brown made a decision to address both issues. The California Dream Act was sent to him, approved by the state legislature.


Governor Brown then requested the current issue (allowing California voters to VOTE on a tax increase for the rich and a boost to education funding in California) be addressed by the legislature. Thanks to the Repbulican legislators’ chest-pounding buffoonery, as usual, it was stopped.


So Brown circumvented the legislature and went straight to the voters.


You don’t like the proposed initiative? Vote against it. But don’t block other Californians’ rights to voice their own opinion by voting.


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It’s so incredibly sad when I hear so much nonesense. Those that are saying that they won’t give another cent for our schools, geez, fine you’ll probably get your way. Yes SLORider it’s our taxes, we’ve paid higher than this before, it’s one half of one cent, oh my. So yes racket, don’t worry those that live below the poverty line will have to ‘throw in a few bones’. Mr. Holly doesn’t want to pay one half cent to help our schools or else he’s a greedy fat cat that doesn’t want to put back into a system that made him what he is (if he’s one of the greedy millionaires) Scr*w those kids, they don’t need to learn. It’s the part of raising the tax on the millionaires that will cause this to fail. You people are pawns for those millionaires and you don’t know it. They are the ones holding the cards in this fight and you simply don’t get it.


“•Millionaires and high-income earners will pay up to 2% higher income taxes for five years. No family making less than $500,000 a year will see their income taxes rise. In fact, fewer than 2% of California taxpayers will be affected by this increase.

•There will be a temporary ½ cent increase in the sales tax. Even with this temporary increase, sales taxes will still be lower than what they were less than six months ago.

•This initiative dedicates funding only to education and public safety–not on other programs that we simply cannot afford”.


Read that link in article, Browns cut govt. spending by 10 billion dollars and has cut the deficit in half. Sorry, the guy doesn’t walk on water, not yet. It’s the cost of living. Things go up that’s just the way it is.


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ONLY to eduction and public safety….kinda like the Green Sticker fees we’ve paid for years has ONLY been used for it’s original purpose?


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You are right I do not want to pay anymore taxes for schools. I have many friends who are teachers and all they can talk about is the waste in education. This includes the high salaries and benefits for administrators. The edict at the end of the year to use all of the money up so you don’t lose it next year. In Atascadero the administration has to go to The Pines for a couple of days to wine and dine and talk about business. What’s wrong with staying in town. How about the Cal Poly instructor who I once asked if he taught 3-4 classes a day. After he almost fell off his chair he declared he taught 2 classes a week.

Education needs to get in line with the current economic times and stretch the dollar like the rest of us.

Raise taxes and I would almost guarantee that very little or none of it would ever get to the classroom where education is.


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I also have many friends that are teachers. They are tired of having to pay for supplies themselves and tired of begging parents to donate items. You are right about admin being top heavy regarding pay and something needs to be done about that. But that being said our schools are pretty bad, we need put politics aside and think of the kids.


I can’t say for sure that the added revenue would go to the classrooms but I would hope so. Your statement about them getting in line with current economic times is nuts. We pay less per student than most states and the quality of our schools and quality ofeducation shows it. The most important thing that we can do for this country is to provide our kids with a good education, without that we will continue to decline.


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You don’t want to pay more taxes for schools? Great. Vote against the initiative.


But don’t rob other California voters of their right to voice their opinion by voting.


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An initiative is worth a shot, though I don’t believe Jerry thinks it will pass, either. Perhaps he is hoping a Republican or two in Sacramento will buck Norquist and Fox. Walmart creating an initiative is okay (“the people”, and all that), but trying to pry money from millionaires will never be allowed! As Winston said, “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender”. Fox, the Tea Party, and right thinking Cal Coast Newsers expect no less.


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Sadly, I’m afraid that you are correct. Good post.


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I was going to add something about the millionaire b*stards that don’t want to pay their fair share and then I remembered that there is a group of millionaires that want their taxes raised on themselves and want the middle and lower classes to be left alone ie Google execs, Russel Simmons and others. So they’re not all bad and evil, only those ie the Kock bros, Fox pawns etc..So I don’t want to call this class warfare but we defintly need to vote for people that care about those of us that don’t make multi millions. Obama’s made a lot of mistakes but can you imagine a ‘Newt’ for prez!!!?? What was his jewelry bill again? OMG the sound of President Newt makes me a bit sick to my stomach. The right are out of touch with reality.


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The rich have no need to defend themselves. Minions and the deluded who guzzle from Fox for hour after hour will take up the cudgel on their behalf.


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They already are, many of them are tea baggers.


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It’s a National disgrace their Reality TV circus! A joke…Speaker Newt in 94 I believe it was, well known to stand in front of the camera, while the House was empty-NOTHING BUT EMPTY SEATS-shouting at them just for a media mis representation- that ” you democrats are a disgrace and if you don’t have the guts to speak out now on such and such isssue, then shame on you all!!!” ALL this a blatant lie so the clip would look like he was really talking to someone!-He is a frightengly smart and dangerous meglomaniac-on Barbie #3 Just wait until “princess Nancy” directs the people to the public records on Newt’s crooked ethics violations and flip flopping for Millions Lobbying On K street! Let the games begin! be sure to catch Donald’s Book tour on Piers Morgan-


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The Newt seems to be very nervous about what what Pelosi wants out in the open about him. He’s already threating legal actions if the TRUTH comes out. How pathetic is that!


Your point about the Newt debating to empty seats is funny and so Newt. He’s such a coward.


I don’t feel he’s that smart. It’s not that he’s that smart it’s that his followers are that dumb. He’s a slime and it’s absolutely unbelievable how so many pawns like the guy. He says one stupid thing after the other. Brown doesn’t need to raise taxes, he can just take the Newt’s advise and have the poor kids work at the schools. The kids will clean up the bathrooms after the rich kids are done messing them up. I find that little suggestion so ironic when thinking of how the pawns don’t want to raise taxes on the wealthy. Now, not just adults their poor kids will also be on their knees to the wealthy. I’ll bet that the Newt and the Donald will start a new reality show to find out which poor kid can do the best job so the Donald can hire the kid to work at one of his hotels cleaning up rooms. Child Apprentice. One would think that I’m making this up, it’s just to amazing to be real but I’ve been hearing tads of this cr@p on the news. You just can’t make this stuff up.


When I watch those GOP goof balls I swear it’s like watching a bunch escapees from mental hospital. That’s okay though, IMO they are like manna from heaven for the Dems. I can’t wait to see a debate between Obama and the Newt.


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I wonder if an initiative was placed on the Nov ballot to decrease all State wages and benefits 10% across the board, and then a 10% cut on all other budget items – what the vote on that would be? I don’t think we are quite to the point where 50% of the population works for the state, county or city? Are we?


I do know what a 10% cut would do for the budget problems!


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No, that wouldn’t help the problem because we’d end up spending a lot of money on litigation only to find out that the state broke the law. I’m guessing that when one gets hired with the idea of making a certain amount per hour or with salary that in some cases the state might get in trouble if they go back on that deal. There are very strict laws when it comes to this type of thing.


Plus that’s not fair to the workers. I agree that many state workers make way too much during these hard times but they have budgets, house payments, car payments etc.. If you cut down their pay then many won’t be able to meet thier cost of living expenses and will lose their homes and cars all at no fault of their own. We will all lose if that happens. I do believe thought that we need to start hiring many of these over paid state workers at a lower wage with much fewer perks than they receive now. They could do that right away and it would save us a lot of money. It’s not as big a deal if a new-hire starts off knowing what they’re making, either you take the job or you don’t. But not all state workers are evil why cause them, and in turn cause us to get into even worse financial conditions.


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That’s just great. They, state employees may lose. Well I really don’t want to pay more so that they can survive while I lose for the benefit of them.


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I was once a state employee. I NEVER, however, held the selfish and childish opinion that people who didn’t work for the state.


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You don’t get it. If the state employees lose then we all lose. If they default on their homes then the value of all our homes go down. If they don’t have money to spend then our small businesses go out of business. If they don’t pay taxes because they are unemployed then we all lose. If the state employees lose their jobs which many thousands have, then they collect govt. assistance. Even if you don’t care about the human aspect of this there is an economic impact that will hurt everyone by letting them lose. It’s a big cycle and we are all together in this mess.


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Halleluja, sloweb. In the 80’s 51% of San Luis Obispo County inhabitants worked for government in some form or another. Today, I don’t know what the stats are, but the Dept. of Labor does. Now, there’s a bureaucracy that’s worth its pay….


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In the 1980s I thought Madonna’s “new” look was cool. Now? Not so much.


Things have changed since 1980. If you kept up with current events, you might hold a different opinion.


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M&M,

“If you kept up with current events….” Are you kidding me?! You mean “torrent events!”


I eat, sleep, breath county current events, and that’s just to keep from living like a door mat. In the time it takes me to figure out how much money it takes to get drinking water out of my tap and where the half a million dollars is going that gets paid to the OCSD every two months to maintain our “water and sewer infrastructure,” another country has been invaded, another war has broken out, and 39,000 African children are expected to starve to death in the next 90 DAYS. The question is not one of keeping up with current events. The question is which current events are you going to focus your energies on.


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Please, not another dime. Aided with unparalleled spending the democrat has driven our State and school system into the gutter. The democrat has controlled the purse strings of this State for the last 40 years, and look at the results. NO to more taxes to feed the corrupt “public school system”, and the apparatchiks that benefit from the plundered dollars.


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Where do I sign? I’m sick of the wealthy pigs taking our money and not paying their fair share.


Jerry Brown=the best and most HONEST governer this state has ever had.


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I hope it isn’t lost on you that this also includes a sales tax increase that will hurt the poor. The tax on the “rich” is the hook to provide the sell. You realize it will provide very little revenue compared to the sales tax hike, right?


This is the DISHONESTY that I am talking about. It’s got all the sales hooks in it, but it’s a tax on the poor, it’s a “replacement tax”, and it uses the old “temporary” hook again to kick the can down the road (until Brown is out of office).


We need honest reform based on upfront information, not a sales pitch.


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I agree about the temporary thing. We thought that the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy would have expired by now, but Obama sold us out to the wealthy on that one and here they are, many living income tax free while the income gap grows wider and wider.


What do you suggest? Brown is letting prisoners out early, our schools have been slashed to bare bones, the govt agencies, Cal Trans etc. have all been cut down to where they’re either closing down or cutting back on hours. He’s been trying to find waste and cutting it where he can. He’s only human, he can’t change the world in the short time that this needs to be done and that he’s been in office. I’m sure, no doubt about it that there is still waste that can be found and fixed but what else do you expect him to do? You are aware that we are broke? How does he get us out of this mess? It must be something big and something fast. All of these grandiose dreams and ideas that would take an act of congress and the right and the left meeting in the middle won’t work. The right has made it a point that they won’t work with the left so we won’t get progress in that area. What else can he do to get us out of this mess? I would love the tax to be temporary as he says and I’m sure that’s his intention but I agree that rarely do those things end up being temporary.


The population keeps growing, inflation keeps inflating and yet no wants to pay more. How does that work? Cost is going up and money is going down. I’m sick of seeing prison staff and mental health employees and patients getting beat up, I’m sick of our kids schools going to hell as we continue to become one of the stupidest (undereducated) and sickliest countries in the world. If we want to have a decent life style then we must pay for it. What if you worked year after year and worked more hours and more hours but didn’t ever get a raise? The state needs a raise.


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BTW, that was typed real fast so there’s lots of typos (beat you to the punch).


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What do I suggest?


Something like 38% of California filers do not pay ANY state income tax. My guess is if each filer paid $100, it would generate more state income than the top 3% Brown has in mind.


Problem is, the 38% LIKE not paying their share. And it’s in the elected politicians’ interest to pander to them for they are so many.


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Okay, at the risk of sounding really out of the loop and old, what’s a ‘filer’?


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One who files a tax return.


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I thought that might be what you meant but I would hope that you’re not talking about that percent that lives below the poverty line? Those are the ones that file but don’t make enough to give. I hope that you don’t mean my neighbors and friends that are wondering if they will keep their home or sometimes wondering if they’ll be able to buy enough groceries or gas this month. I hope that you’re not saying that we should raise their taxes or make them pay $100.00 and that people like Mr. Holly that make a half a mill a year shouldn’t have to pay more. A hundred bucks to people living below the poverty level is a lot of money. I read your posts racket so I’m going to guess that you wouldn’t really want to cause more pain for those that make so little while fat cats are saying’ scr*w you guys, eat dog food’.


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California is a great state, with great people, and spends a great deal of money.


The CA 2010 state expenditure was more than $91,000 Million dollars for our population of 37 million people.


So every man, woman and child living in this state costs “the taxpayers” about $2500.


So I don’t think it’s unfair to ask the filer in the family to kick down 100 bones, considering that he received $7500 worth of government (assuming one wife and one kid). Do you?


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Yes, I feel that’s very unfair. I don’t understand how you can causally ask those living below the poverty line to ‘kick in a few bones’ when multi millionaires are making record profits and paying NO fed income tax and little on scale of comparison of other taxes. It sounds so incredibly cold hearted. No, no more taking from the poor, it’s time for the rich to pitch in.


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Typo:


I consider myself rich, but I did not pay $10,000 in state income taxes last year (which is what my liability is, based on my three dependents).


Someone subsidized me.


And I don’t think it was the 38% who don’t pay anything.


I think it was the evil rich who paid a portion of my state income tax liability.


How much of my liability should they be responsible for? How do I accept their enforced charity with a clear conscience?


Where this conversation should end up is with you and I agreeing that my family did not really get $10,000 worth of government. No one does. The government is not a very good deal for us. And, short of leaving the state, we do not have a mechanism to opt out.


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–continued–


But, it is unfair to the evil rich for me and you and the 38% to depend on the rich to fund our government for us.


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Racket, where are you getting your info. from? “38% of California filers don’t pay ANY state income tax”? I don’t believe that for a minute.


Besides, my last seatbelt ticket was over $300 bucks (includes court “fees”)! My first CAR only cost $400!


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Lost the link I was working off of yesterday, but this: http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/26336.html

shows 37% of California filers paid nothing in FED taxes.


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Fed and State taxes are different.


What is your source for your original statement, “Something like 38% of California filers do not pay ANY state income tax”?


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Mary —


Embarassingly, I gotta recant. I cannot find source the assertion I made yesterday (38% no income tax).


The closest I can find is this chart from the Sac Bee

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/31/2648102/californiataxes.html which shows


• More than 85% of all CA personal income tax dollars are paid by filers in the over $100,000 income group.


• More than 11% of CA PIT is paid by filers in the $50k to $100k group.


• Leaving 3% of all the CA income taxes collected to the filers in the sub-$50K group.


It aint what I asserted above, but it leads to the same conclusion.


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Resource! Thanks, racket. I’ll check out the link.


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I have been working year after year and worked more hours and more hours but didn’t ever get a raise. I’m not part of any union nor a government employee demanding raises and more benefits when the economy is going in the hole. That’s why I, a hard working independent worker, doesn’t want to pay more taxes so that people who are better off than I can even become better off.

Not for me. When government wants to step down and become equal with the average working guy, who usually is employed by someone who the government has declared wealthy, then I’ll pay taxes on an equal basis.

The government wants to become wealthier so that they can still pay their ridiculous salaries, benefits and those retirements that are unrealistic.


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Don’t forget about the additional $150 a year tax that Brown has imposed on people who live outside of incorporated areas for fire protection or pay for fire personnel.


Let’s see now, we have that tax and now a sales tax increase and then what will be next?


No for me.


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SORRY

No more taxes and /or fees for me.

Let’s have an initiative to cut spending and eliminate all of the perks for government. That, I’ll drive to Sacramento to vote on. I’m tired of being lied to and robbing me on a daily basis of my hard earned income just to see government waste it.


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You make over $500K and you don’t want to help out our state! THEN MOVE’!


If I made that much then I’d be happy to pay more taxes. That would mean that my business is doing great, that’s the least I could do to repay the citizens that helped my business grow. It would also help my business grow by helping those that are being hit so hard by this recession, more for them, more for me.


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ITA. If those making over $500K a year don’t want to pay the tax for 5 years, then move the frack out of our state.


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There’s something unsavory about using the power and resources of the office of the governor to promote an INITIATIVE.


Initiatives are supposed to empower THE PEOPLE to step in and govern when the gov’t falls short. I am not so sure the initiative process was meant to aid the gov’t when they can’t get things done playing by bureaucratic rules.


I cry foul.


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What is unsavory about it?


He attempted to work through the legislature and, as usual, the buffoon Republicans brought the issue to a stalemate.


So Brown is bringing it to the peeps.


Don’t you think Californians should have a choice about taxing and funding?


If you don’t agree with the initiative, then VOTE NO. But don’t try to stop other Californians from voicing their own opinions.


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I will VOTE NO, thank you very much.


JERRY THE LIAR

Republicans did not block a ballot measure at all. They were ready to vote for it if the Dems would agree to a side-by-side tax cut ballot measure. The union bosses and Dems certainly didn’t want THE PEOPLE TO DECIDE that one. What, Democracy not good enough? Be honest, Jerry. You’re telling half-truths.


JERRY THE DISINGENUOUS

Are we really going to fall for the old “it’s temporary” line again? Are we really going to go for the old “it’s for education and public safety only” line again? Really folks?


Doesn’t everyone know by now that the moment you earmark funds they just cut the general fund contribution on the other end? Does anyone really not know what “REPLACEMENT TAX” means?


And then, when it’s set to expire five years from now, the general fund will be obligated elsewhere and we’ll hear “Police officers and teachers will be fired if you don’t renew this modest, but critical sales tax, blah, blah, blah….”


JERRY THE PIG WITH LIPSTICK

Mr. Governor: If you’re going to ask for a tax, don’t dress it up and paint makeup on its face. You’ve invoked all the pop-buzzwords here: “tax the rich”, “public safety”, “education”, “temporary”… We all know the “stupid vote bloc” will fall for this nonsense (sad, but true), and those in organized labor already know union leaders are holding meetings in Sacramento and pooling millions to buy TV ads and bombard us later this year…


BUT CAN’T YOU JUST ASK FOR AN HONEST TAX WITHOUT ALL THE LIPSTICK? CAN’T WE GET AN HONEST GOVERNOR PLEASE?


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Well, I figured you would vote no on it.


What I don’t understand is why you don’t want other Californians to have the right to vote their own opinions?


Your descriptions of Brown are untrue. He tried to work through the legislature, but the Republicans–as usual–brought the proposed legislation to a stalemate. He has been quite honest about what he is proposing.


In addition, unless you are a psychic, you have no clue about what is going to happen in the future. What you are voicing are nothing but your own unfounded fears.


This initiative may turn out to be a referendum on the Republicans’ time- and resource-wasting efforts in our state legislature…and that may very well be reflected in the elections in 2012.


Or not.


Either way, let the voters decide.


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“Let the voters decide” So you agree with both the Republicans and me.


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