Supporters of Gov. Brown’s Prop. 30 say that it’s all about the public schools. But the California School Board Assn., which favors its passage, admits that Prop. 30 will not provide any new funding for our public schools. So is it really about public education? Or about sustaining the status quo? As if, leaving things as they are really is an acceptable alternative.
Governor as Godfather
The governor has raised the stakes from his previous threat of last year. He's acting more like a Godfather than a governor. He thinks he has made California taxpayers an offer they can’t refuse: Either you pass my Prop. 30 or else your kids are gonna get hit. But Prop. 30 looks to be nothing more than the governor's latest gambit in his high-stakes game of Chicken, to try and wring more taxes from hard-working citizens by holding his tax-gun to our children's head while holding them hostage.
On the Bright Side
Gov. Brown had the chance to bring down his budgetary hammer last December. He chickened out. He announced that state tax revenues were not as bad as anticipated, and that the still mounting state budget deficit had failed to reach his previously imposed trigger target of minus two billion dollars. Only later we found out that the state delayed paying its bills, deferred payments and moved funds around to make the growing budgetary shortfall in December look much better than it really was. All this so the governor would not have to pull the trigger on his cutting state spending. Later, in March, the budget deficit was said to be at least $9B. By June it had ballooned to over $15B.
Based on the way he chickened out on his previously threatened spending cuts of late last year, does the governor think he is holding the winning hand this time? Does he have a winning ace up his sleeve? Or is he bluffing again in trying to get voters to raise their taxes by passing the Prop. 30 tax increase?
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
