{"id":199,"date":"2006-06-05T21:42:32","date_gmt":"2006-06-05T12:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2006-06-05\/199"},"modified":"2006-06-05T23:06:27","modified_gmt":"2006-06-05T14:06:27","slug":"californias-proposition-82-and-how-to-best-raise-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2006-06-05\/199","title":{"rendered":"California&#8217;s &#8220;Proposition 82&#8221; and how to best raise taxes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\n\nCalifornians (and expatriates like me whose last US residence was in\nCalifornia) vote tomorrow on <span class='nobr'>a number<\/span> of things, including <span class='nobr'>Proposition 82.<\/span>\n<span class='nobr'>Proposition 82<\/span> would create <span class='nobr'>a special<\/span> income-tax increase to pay for\nuniversal preschool throughout the state.\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nEven as much as the general citizen might like young children, few will\nwant to fork over more in taxes specifically to pay for it.... especially\nthose without children. That's why one might suspect this proposition to be\ndoomed from the start, but no, it won't fail. <span class='nobr'>I predict<\/span> it will pass with\nthe force of <span class='nobr'>a mandate.<\/span>\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nIt will pass because this proposition's key point is &#8220;<b>You don't\nhave to pay -- <i>others will pay<\/i>.<\/b>&#8221; <span class='nobr'>Proposition 82<\/span> increases\nthe State tax by 18% on income over $400k. <span class='nobr'>The very vast<\/span> majority of those\nthat vote on it (including me) won't be subject to any additional tax. So\nheck, why not vote for it -- if other's pay, <i>it's free<\/i>!\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nHistory has shown that the &#8220;others will pay!&#8221; method is <span class='nobr'>a\nfantastic<\/span> way to get new taxes passed. Heck, thats how the 16th Amendment\nwas so easily passed in 1913. (The 16th Amendment, you'll recall,\nauthorizes the federal government to levy and collect its income taxes.) It's\nsad to say, but most people simply don't have the moral fiber vote against\nsomething that's so clearly wrong (the many ganging up on the few). <span class='nobr'>As George<\/span> Bernard Shaw noted, &#8220;<b><span class='nobr'>A government<\/span> which robs Peter to pay\nPaul can always depend on the support of Paul.<\/b>&#8221;\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nCalifornia's November 2004 election illustrates this lack of moral fiber well:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\n  <li><p>One proposition (#63) was to enhance mental-health services for the\n  entire population, but be paid for by <span class='nobr'>a special<\/span> tax affecting only about one\n  tenth of one percent of the\n  population.<\/p><\/li>\n\n  <li><p>Another proposition (#67) would help maintain the availability of\n  emergency medical services (e.g. hospital ERs) for the entire population,\n  and paid for by most anyone with <span class='nobr'>a telephone<\/span> (at <span class='nobr'>a rate<\/span> of about six\n  dollars <span class='nobr'>a year<\/span>).<\/p><\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>\n\nThe goals of both are laudable, but they try to achieve them differently. <span class='nobr'>The first<\/span> uses the &#8220;others will pay!&#8221; method, while the second\ntries to spread it out relatively evenly among those likely to benefit.\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nIn the end, one of them was passed by the voters, while the other was\n<b>crushed<\/b> with <span class='nobr'>a 75<\/span>% &#8220;no&#8221; vote. <span class='nobr'>Can you guess<\/span> which one\nfailed? (Hint: &#8220;others will pay!&#8221; never fails).\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nI find this kind of thing simply disgusting, and this election's\n<span class='nobr'>Proposition 82<\/span> is no exception. I've already voted by mail, and <span class='nobr'>I certainly<\/span>\nvoted &#8220;no&#8221;.\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nTo be clear again, passage of this Proposition wouldn't have any negative\nimpact on me (it wouldn't raise <i>my<\/i> taxes), and in fact it might\nbenefit me, as <span class='nobr'>I have<\/span> <span class='nobr'>a preschool<\/span>-aged child and <span class='nobr'>I may<\/span> yet spend\nconsiderable time in California (we still have <span class='nobr'>a house<\/span> and many friends\nthere).\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nIt might benefit me, but it's morally reprehensible. <span class='nobr'>I voted<\/span> no.\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nAs if that wasn't enough, besides the insidious way this Proposition funds\nitself, it seems to be more concerned with strengthening the Teachers'\nUnion and putting non-Union educators out of work than with the wellbeing\nof the State's young children. But hey, if others will pay, it must be okay! (sigh)\n\n<\/p><p>\n\nMy brother Steve has <a\nhref=\"http:\/\/www.unixwiz.net\/voting\/2006-06-primary.html#82\">an informative\nwriteup on <span class='nobr'>Proposition 82<\/span><\/a>, including links to the &#8220;for&#8221; and\n&#8220;against&#8221; camps.\n\n<\/p> \n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Californians (and expatriates like me whose last US residence was in California) vote tomorrow on a number of things, including Proposition 82. Proposition 82 would create a special income-tax increase to pay for universal preschool throughout the state. <\/p><p> Even as much as the general citizen might like young children, few will want to fork over more in taxes specifically to pay for it.... especially those without children. That's why one might suspect this proposition to be doomed from the start, but no, it won't fail. I predict it will pass with the force of a mandate. <\/p><p> It [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}