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Californians don't want higher taxes, bigger government
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More from OpinionCalifornians pay enough in taxes. In fact, we pay the fourth-highest tax burden in the country. Unfortunately, some at the Capitol want to raise our taxes even more to try and address the state's $17.2 billion budget deficit.
What they fail to understand is that we cannot tax our way out of this problem. More taxes will destroy what we are trying to save — jobs and revenue. Tax increases will hurt families and kill jobs.
Recently, Democrats in the Senate and Assembly introduced their state budget proposals. Their plans would increase taxes by as much as $11.5 billion. They also reject nearly all of the spending reductions Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed earlier this year.
Instead, their plans would spend more on health and welfare programs, and would actually increase state spending by $3 billion next year.
I believe this is the wrong approach to solving our state budget deficit. Rather than increasing taxes on California's hard-working families, we should be looking at every area of government to see what programs work and what don't.
The government programs that are ineffective should be eliminated and we should resist creating new ones. We should also work to eliminate the wasteful bureaucracy that tends to grow and grow in state government.
The only way to stop wasteful government spending is to keep the money with those who earned it in the first place — taxpayers. If the bureaucrats in Sacramento don't have your money, they can't spend your money.
A recent Field Poll reinforces that Californians don't want bigger government or higher taxes. When asked, 63 percent of Californians said they wanted the state budget deficit addressed through spending cuts, while just 26 percent of voters said they favored higher taxes to balance the budget.
It's clear that Californians want the Legislature to keep its hands off their wallets when it comes to balancing the budget. I believe lawmakers should listen to the people, and work together to craft a realistic budget plan that makes sense for California.
We must work together, Republicans and Democrats, to make the tough but necessary choices to get the deficit under control and California back on track. We must have the courage not to shy away from going through the budget line by line to find the responsible savings necessary to bring spending in line with revenue.
We must also end the status quo in Sacramento. I have joined my colleagues in proposing several common-sense reforms we believe will help California live within its means. Republicans want to fix our broken budget system, to end the practice of the state spending more than it takes in each year. We also want to make it easier for government to stretch every tax dollar to the fullest, especially during these tough budget times.
Raising taxes will hurt our economy, threaten jobs and encourage politicians to spend even more on bigger government.
I will fight hard against any attempt to raise your taxes. Only when we reject the irresponsible call to raise taxes and get serious about stopping overspending will we be able to put together the balanced budget the people of California deserve.
— Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, represents the 38th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and Glendale.
Posted by MECapron on June 18, 2008 at 5:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Dear Assemblyman Smyth,
Yes. Republicans – Democrats, working together, but not on the traditional tax or reform debate. We need more innovation, such as:
Inexpensively “incarcerate” non-violent prisoners with high performance bracelets combining accelerometers (Wii) and cellphones. California could save $billions moving non-violent convicts from hard to electronic prison. The savings are immediate with reduced hard prison construction and long-term with reduced crime losses and more productive lives. Local governments already use simple bracelets.
The technology is bracelets that serve as individual 24/7 guard, coach, mentor, employer, teacher, and parent for virtual prisoners. The Wii technology allows ankle and wrist bracelets to detect motion signatures unique to people and unique to specific actions. The Wii uses accelerometers to “play” virtual hitting and throwing games. In the same manner, a bracelet can detect if the wearer is driving a car, drinking from a bottle, tagging a wall, or buying, smoking, snorting, shooting a drug. No drug dealer or alcohol provider will get near a bracelet as it will be recording conversations, and threaten to taser the prisoner.
Combining the same Wii, GPS, and cellphone technology can inexpensively transform carpooling into super-convenient mass transit, prevent nearly all vehicle accidents, reduce traffic congestion, and improve parking efficiency. California could save on the order of $15 billion per year by rewarding government for reducing the cost of auto insurance. Plus avoid the emotional suffering from 600,000 motor vehicle accidents, 4,000 deaths each year, and the economic drain of traffic congestion.
By combining cellphones and Wii, California can earn a REWARD for saving lives by making cars super-polite. For example, California could remove hurdles and add incentives to reduce vehicle miles and reduce accidents. Both results also reduce the cost of insurance. Government’s REWARD is half whatever it saves. Less vehicle miles and half the accidents is half the auto insurance cost. In California, halving auto insurance cost generates a government REWARD of $12.5 billion per year. The economic boost from eliminating traffic congestion, and the reduced emotional suffering of accident survivors, are priceless.
Realize that market forces are producing zero-accident and zero-congestion cars in any case (stability control, navigation systems, self-parking, and General Motors’ car-2-car). These applications do not require fully autonomous vehicles. They are more like riding a horse or driving with current stability control systems. The rider or driver provides the directions. The horse or computer avoids collisions or turns the wheels. California’s REWARD is for life-saving, economy-boosting, quicker deployment of the technology.
Mark Capron, PE
Posted by CaptainAmerica on June 18, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Cameron Smyth tell the truth! What you are really saying is "Don't raise taxes on my rich supporters, the big oil companies, tobacco companies and health insurance companies. And don't close tax loopholes for my billionaire supporters." He gives one poll number, give the others Cameron, like the poll that shows 80% want schools fully funded and they don't want the budget balanced on the backs of the sick and elderly. They also support higher taxes and closing tax loopholes on your supporters. Instead of paying Smyth to be in Sacramento we could replace him with a parrot that would say, "Brack, don't tax my supporters brack, better to have high gas prices and college so expensive only my billionaire supporters can afford it, brack, no new taxes brack, brack."
Posted by StevefromSacto on June 18, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Assemblyman Smyth begins with the flawed assumption that billions of dollars can be raised from new, draconian budget cuts without harming our state. This is a fantasy of the minority party only. Pushing only for significant budget savings and refusing to consider raising revenue is irresponsible and reckless. The people of California have been very clear that there is no support for the massive program cuts that have been proposed. Legislators should work together to find needed revenues and pass the necessary reforms to balance the budget without cutting essential programs and services.
Posted by ReadMyLipsNoNewTaxes on June 18, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Poppa,
Can you define what having a 'fully funded school' is?
There are 170,000 less students in K-12, yet the budget is 5% higher than last years....
Posted by terryt6666 on June 18, 2008 at 11:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
WHAT IS IT THAT THEY HAVEN'T LEARNED IN SACAMENTO ABOUT LIVING WITH THEIR MEANS...THE REST OF US HAVE TO--WHY CAN'T SACRAMENTO???
Posted by mikeb6804 on June 18, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
terry & Veritas -- I agree with both of you. Not only have these clowns created too many entitlement programs in an effort to retain power, any assumptions they have made about the proper size of the budget based on predicted revenues have always been wrong. Not only a little bit wrong but totally irresponsible.
Posted by mtlmolina on June 18, 2008 at 3:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Schools used to run very efficiently on much less money per student. It's not the amount of money that's the problem. Just look at private schools that run on a fraction of the public amount per student. The whole education system needs an overhaul to cut the administrative fat and social programs that have nothing to do with academics.
I agree that "essential" state programs should not be cut but those that are not effective are wasteful and should be eliminated.
Posted by mikeb6804 on June 18, 2008 at 11:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
jw--same ol stupid comments. You have a lot in common with a bedsore.
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