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California swung like a pendulum from one extreme on the property tax scale to the other. The effects of prop 13 are starving the state and local governments.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Mar 20th, 2006 at 11:56:50 AM EST
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I guess my perspective on that would be different, and more in line with the California homeowners, who want crazy when Warren Buffet as advisor to Arnie, suggested changing that property tax.  IMO, and theirs, it is simply outrageous for people to work all their lives in CA, retire, only to have their housing prices grow insanely,,,,,and then be unable to retire in the home they have lived in for, say 25 years.

Now, I would agree with you if that was the states only source of tax revenue, but it's not.  State sales tax is among the highest in the country, at about 9.5%,,,,sales tax is also high, in the 8--9% range depending....And the property tax does go up for the change in CPI.

starving the state and local governments.
Give me a break.  Why can't we expect our politicians to manage within reasonable budgets??  these politicians here are totally loopy, and incompetent regarding managing spending.
by wchurchill on Mon Mar 20th, 2006 at 12:20:38 PM EST
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Remember when Gray Davis proposed to roll back the car tax rebate () because of the state's budget woes? Arnie run on a platform consisting essentially of "I'll repeal the car tax" and within weeks of being elected he declareda budget emergency. I call that a responsible fiscal policy. Not.

() The legislature had voted to waive the car tax as long as the state budget could afford it, but then people got used to it and the Republicans sold "rolling back the waiver" as "instituting a new tax".

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Mar 20th, 2006 at 12:26:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yikes, sorry about the bolding. It's unintentional.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Mar 20th, 2006 at 12:26:50 PM EST
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I do agree with how you characterize that car tax situation.  
by wchurchill on Mon Mar 20th, 2006 at 12:43:10 PM EST
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