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For the Week of May 13, 2012
There's a kind of blackmail foisted on the people by government leaders that I find as distasteful as it should be criminal. You see, it's all about manipulation. Government leaders at the city, county, state and federal level have gone too far with spending on things that were never fully funded, nor should have even existed. Now they disguise the fact that they must cut non-essential programs, pet projects of someone, which they are loathe to do. Do they come to the taxpayer, the citizenry (half of America pays little or no taxes) and plead their case for those programs? Not likely. This is where the blackmail comes in. A good example of governmental blackmail is California Governor Jerry Brown's insistence that he get permission from voters, which is required by law, to raise additional taxes on an already unfairly burdened public. This scheme of his is not popular. So Governor Brown, as others are doing, is holding the sharpened scythe of doom over the populace by declaring that, "we can't fill this hole with cuts alone without doing severe damage to our schools. That's why I'm bypassing the gridlock and asking you, the people of California" and then he adds a priceless nugget to scare people into voting for his plan to raise taxes, "to approve a plan that avoids cuts to schools and public safety." The governor, with all due respect, is lying. There is no gridlock other than those stubborn voters who won't cooperate. By the way, Sacramento is controlled by a Democratic majority. More on that later. In the governor's zeal to add to the coffers of state government, he has stooped to a fear tactic that we've seen before. It is the worst kind of governing and it speaks volumes about how those who govern disrespect the governed.
The threat of deficits affecting the safety of our children and failure of school systems (which many would argue has happened anyway) is a powerful image but it also smacks of an abusive warning: "Now people, if you don't give me what I want, I'm going to hurt you." It is government thuggery, scaring people with lies and innuendo.
Back to the Democratic majority in Sacramento... this group of buffoons has damned near bankrupted the state with massive spending on non-essential programs, approved monies to supply themselves with lucrative rewards such as company (state) cars and expenses that are far beyond what should be reasonable and customary. Somewhere along the way the cloud of amnesia that surrounds Sacramento and other governing bodies, including the federal, govenment has made them forget who's paying for all their privileges. In California, you can add to that rules, regulations and taxes that make doing business in California difficult, causing businesses to move out of the state and others not to even consider moving there. It has a direct effect on the tax base... and it ain't good. I use California as an example for this essay because it is one of the most dramatic examples of abuse. In a recent article, Forbes magazine said of the state's business friendliness, "Forget about California." The state also passed an internet sales tax which has created problems for businesses in California that are principally online retailers. There are many other issues of mismanagement and corruption that make the state less than charming. Ranking along with California among the bottom business unfriendly states is New York, Alaska and the People's Republic of Vermont. Ranking by Canada's well-respected Fraser Institute puts them there. All the scare tactics levied upon the people to get them to pass more taxes will not fix the mess these corrupt officials have caused. Removing them from office might.
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