blog-Taxes

No Free Lunch
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Laura Sucheski: The California Budget Project, our favorite left-leaning “non-partisan” budget analysis organization, released a budget brief today titled “No Free Lunch: Tax Cuts Widen Budget Gaps.” The brief is yet another indication of the organization’s overarching belief in increased ...

Read Skelton’s lips: More new taxes!
Monday, May 31st, 2010

I'll give L.A. Times columnist George Skelton marks for consistency: He always favors tax increases. Here he is back in 2007, even before the economy crashed, calling for "a temporary tax increase to balance the books." And I'm consistent, too: I always oppose him and his obsession. I'm always on...

Now this is dumb
Monday, May 24th, 2010

California still, despite its many problems and follies, is the global center of the Internet. Our companies here include Google, eBay, Apple, Conexant (Internet switches), and thousands more. Public policy should be simple: more and more Internet! For everybody! Doing so makes California Interne...

How To Do Business With The State
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

At an event I attended last week, I received a brochure titled “How to do Business with California State Government: A Five Step Process,” published by the Department of General Services (DGS). The quote on the front of the brochure is from Governor Schwarzenegger: “California’s economic ...

We’re No. 3! (in high taxes)
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

A new study ranks Taxifornia No. 3 among the 50 states in taxes. First is New Taxersey. Second is Taxesota. Taxifornia jumped from fourth place to third place. Come on, my fellow Taxifornians, we can do it! We can be No. 1! Let's raise top income tax rates to 15 percent and the sales tax to 15...

Republicans Moving Forward?
Sunday, April 25th, 2010

UPDATE: I spoke with Assembly member Roger Niello over the weekend. Niello said that his discussions with Garrick were informal and that he was not officially "appointed" to lead Assembly Republicans with California Forward. However, he does was a seat at the table. Niello said that he had been c...

Proposition 16 Hidden Intent?
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Could there be a hidden intent behind the PG&E sponsored Proposition 16? Peter Darbee, chairman and CEO of PG&E, is recorded at an investor meeting in New York, Marchi 1, 2010 stating that he hopes to diminish the ability for people to form municipal utilities or electric districts, called C...

Making The State’s Debt Coherent
Monday, April 19th, 2010

Assembly member Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert, introduced a bill in January requiring the state budget to include and account for an estimated $200 billion in unfunded liabilities. According to the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), these liabilities include pensions and retiree health benefits for...

Hotel Taxifornia
Sunday, April 18th, 2010

The Eagles band is starting a tour Tuesday around California and the West Coast. I've come up with some new lyrics, which I'm sure they'll use, for their signature song. It's called... "Hotel Taxifornia" On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair Warm smell of Cohibas, rising up through t...

The Polite Sacramento Tea Party
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
Tea Party sign

The tax day Tea Party held at the state capitol in Sacramento was a bustling event, attended by colorful, patriotic and well-mannered people from all walks of life. No angry outbursts... no fights... just thousands and thousands of very polite taxpaying citizens. The "angry, bitter, militant tea ...

Know Your Bloggers
steven_greenhut
Steven Greenhut is CalWatchdog’s editor in chief. Greenhut was deputy editor and columnist for The Orange County Regis...
katy_grimes
Katy Grimes is CalWatchdog’s news reporter. Grimes is a longtime political analyst, writer and journalist. Grimes has ...
anthony_pignataro
Anthony Pignataro is CalWatchdog’s investigative journalist. Pignataro has been a journalist for nearly 14 years. He g...
john_seiler
John Seiler, an editorial writer with The Orange County Register for 19 years, is a reporter and analyst for CalWatchDog...
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