Californians’ set the bar to go against taxes, yet we complain about the
lack of funding for schools, roads, etc. How can we expect to pay for
these things when we refuse to put the money out to do so?
What should our state do to correct the accountability problem brought on
by prop 13?
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7 comments:
I think people expect the government to pay for things such as schools and roads. I feel people tend to think that the government has alol of this money like in the game monopoly. If people want better schools they will have to put something in to it because the government doesnt have all that money that the monopoly banker does. People expect so much but dont want to put anything int o help, they just expect that it will be done for them with out any cost to them.
Obviously, everyone seems to want the benefits of having improved infrastructure like roads and education systems, but they want others to pay for it. I think we should look at how other states raise revenue for their projects. Even though every state is different, it would be interesting to see what their strategies are, and if we can learn anything from them even though our system is different and we do have the 2/3 vote necessary to raise taxes. We have one of the worst economies in the country, so I think any ideas would be helpful.
Even though other states have a much higher property tax because of prop 13 than we do, in the long run it can be detrimental. Like Schrag discusses in his first chapter of Paradise Lost, prop 13 created a domino effect, where other initiatives were passed all dealing with taxation and allowing less room for representative government. I think we need a strong leader (governor) who can make decisions that will benefit the most people, and Californians have to realize that not everyone can be pleased. California is fragmenting all these interest groups and initiatives. We need to get more focused and find a real game plan and work together to solve problems. People in CA are very different, but people must learn to compromise.
California citizens vote for things that they can and will not pay for. When they vote, I believe, that people do not understand who REALLY will pay for it. I think that most people here dont really understand how much in debt and how much more they are digging a whole for us like voting for a 9.95 million dollar high speen transit train. Who is going to pay for that???
With Proposition 13 passing there goes the thought of ever raising a certain number of taxes. In Paradise Lost, Schrag said that the this begain the taxpayers revolt through the county. How is it that we have an economy that can rival Japan yet we can't even support ourselves when we are in debt.
I guess my response will be similar to those that others have expressed. In other words, I believe that people vote for and agree to do things that they don't necessarily really want to do or know the consequences of (whether good or bad). Everyone wants better schools, roads, etc. but no one wants to pay for it. That's why we have to "code" language about taxing. If it is a tax, people are automatically against it, but if it is a service helping those in need, people are more likely to contribute financially (or at least complain about it much less). Everyone wants everything for free, or at least at no cost to them personally. That is why people believe that we should have better school systems but at the same time believe that they are not the ones who should be paying for it.
I think that if people do not trust putting their money in the hands of the government with Taxes that are supposed to go towards the education of our children for the future, then they should put their children into Private Institutions. Private institutions are more regulated on class size, learning material, teacher salary and more a more acceptable institution for learning. People do not want to pay the higher taxes because many people that live in nicer neighborhoods end up supporting the schools that are located in poorer neighborhoods. The benefit or gain ratio exceeds the risk factor. The Government should regulate the taxes for specific counties and regions. Once evenly divided these regions should equally dispense the taxes within the specified region. This way, poor schools can still receive money, but every dollar will be distributed to every school within the district. Taxes are never a good thing to mention in the state of California, so people are naturally not going to support it unless a good excuse comes along. Getting a 2/3 vote for increasing Taxes will never happen, people are too frugal with their money, especially now, that they will find it hard to provide money to the less fortunate. Taxing is a valid way to pay for roads and education, but in a state like California, this is unlikely to ever occur.
One possible way to help with the accountability problem is to require a supermajority to pass bonds and propositions that will cost money, such as Proposition 2 that just passed. With the current system, it takes many less people to spend money than it does to bring in revenue. At this point, I feel that the only way the state is going to get out of the large deficit it is in is to stop increasing/adding programs and cutting nonessential programs. As long as propositions are on the ballot that seem beneficial to the voter, it will pass, regardless of the cost to the state so this needs to be controlled.
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