California hopes to close large deficit by cutting taxes for large corporations

[Lunar]

Thanks our disgusting proposition process where people vote on individual laws based off of 30 second sound bytes, it's impossible to pass any sort of bill without eighty thousand individual compromises and perks to reach that sixty-six percentage mark, usually with education suffering the most.


Are the tax cuts temporary Ah, they're permanent so they require a three fourths, two thirds majority or whatever to reduce in the future?

I might support these tax cuts depending on how they interact with our deficit and our stimulus package, too lazy to look up

[Lunar]

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I don't know about property, but that makes sense to reduce the cost of hiring new workers.

but then you have this:

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Sigh

[Lunar]

Better than the Rustbelt even if we are politically impotent

[Lunar]

Everyone sane hates Prop 13 and it is 99.99% of the reason why California is impotent/sucks/is lame/has a bad economy.

too bad propostions are so populust

Better than the Rustbelt even if we are politically impotent

Nope.  You have too many illegals and people dependent on the state government (among other problems).  That's just a powder keg waiting to go off.  Rustbelt states don't have either of those problems as much. (e.g. Michigan)

When TSHTF, you want to be in a fairly homogenous society with shared values, above all.

Well, you're basically right with your additional posts.  At least Prop 13 has an infinitely higher chance, however small, of  being reversed, than some company like Chrysler becoming successful.

I try not to be too dismal on our state, but yes, I'm trying to figure out how to bail ASAP


Prop 13 is the very reason why California's economy sucks.  It is the most prevalent demonstration in Earth as to why direct democracy is not a viable alternative.

[Lunar]

Proposition 13 is the most retarded proposition to ever come up in our state.  As Lunar said, everyone sane hates this proposition.

Everyone who knows anything hates it, but thanks to the John Birch Society and probably other crazies, it's impossible to repeal. 

It's the reason why many of our inner city schools are failing (the only way for counties to fund themselves is to collect property taxes on new development, can't do that in the inner city), the reason why we can't pass a budget or, when needed, raise certain taxes (hopefully at the expense of other taxes).

Warren Buffet's $500,000 home in Omaha had its property taxes increased by $1,920 in 2003. Meanwhile, the levy on Buffett’s $4-million house in Laguna Beach, which he bought for less than $100,000 in 1971, rose by just $23.  How does that make sense? But the public likes knee-jerk ideas like "never raise taxes" and "cap property taxes" while at the same time they love to vote for propositions that require 40% of the state budget to be spent on education and %X to be spent on that, to the point that our budget is completely nonsensical before you even factor in that we need 2/3rds to pass.

I mean, the dumbest proposition on the ballot in 2008 was this one requiring chickens have enough space to turn around in their cages.  It's a law that makes complete sense, but not as a state law, since some segment of our egg marketshare will now move to neighboring states and Mexico.  Yet it's also the law that passed with the higher percentage.  I think all but like one proposition passed (correct me if I'm wrong) and in Berkeley every single one of our some dozen little measures passed.  I really think the public, especially in California, just likes to vote for stuff and it's destroying our state.

/rant

[Lunar]

I actually like the proposition system for narrow areas, notably things the legislators won't do themselves - things like government transparency, term limits, salary caps, etc.  Even though I did of work for the No On 8 campaign, I don't mind that we lost because the overall campaign was so inept and inclusive and couldn't relate to what real people were thinking about the issue.

But how many people actually read the bill in question? How many people understand what a bond is?

Also, about your house, when do you think most people who own apartment buildings or towers bought their property?  And considering that property taxes is a key way to fund local schools.... and considering that also applies to megagiant CosCo's and Walmarts....  I'm not pro-tax, but I'm in favor of something sensible for property taxes if those are to be a key way our educational system functions -- as of now, the areas with constant development (suburbs) can fund the best schools.  Prop 13 dealt with a very serious issue -- seniors being taxed out of their homes they've lived in since forever.  But it dealt with that issue with a hatchet that destroyed California, instead of the scalpel that was needed.

I mean, California's legislature needs a check to avoid raising taxes.  I took a college class on the history of California a while back and my professor was explaining how they were once sending dollars to various corners of the state legislature room as a model to try and explain how the budget worked and no one could understand it.  It's a complete mess.

The public is never going to vote down more money for firefighters, veterans, chicken cages, or blind orphans who need love, but they're sure going to vote in favor of mandatory reduced taxes every time.  The basic desire of the public to have reduced taxes but increased social services in manifested in California's clusterf*** thanks to direct democracy

[Lunar]

Still no budget. Our legislature is a total joke.

They could pass one if we were a normal state