Thursday, February 19, 2009

Waiting...

...to find out if I need to start making serious plans to leave California, a thing which will be extraordinarily difficult for me.

Our corrupt, free-spending state legislature is meeting tonight to pass a so-called "budget" that will combine budget "cuts" -- in reality, reductions in their atrocious spending plans -- with massive tax increases.

The increases will include an additional $0.12 per gallon in gasoline tax, a higher sales tax (up to 9.5% in Los Angeles), a 5% surtax on income taxes and a plethora of additional "fees." For most people, the increase will be $1500-2000 per year.

I can't afford that.

The governator, who has proven himself a real "girlie man" (to use his term) when dealing with unions, has already cut a deal with the primary state workers' union that guarantees them no layoffs. Even so, he threatens to lay off thousands of state workers if the tax package doesn't go through.

Big deal, I say. Fire the whole pampered lot of them, as far as I'm concerned. The state has added thousands of workers since Ahhh-nuld became governor, and has increased its spending by more than 50%.

None of these cretins give a damn about the citizens of the state. Therefore, I don't give a damn about them. Let them hit the breadlines. They are the laziest bunch of people I know of, anyway.

Not that I expect things to be much better anywhere else. When the bill comes due for the new President's "stimulus" plans, we -- and our children and grandchildren -- will be on the hook for an unimaginable sum of money anyway.

Who benefits? Not you, and not me. Greedy and stupid people who bought houses they couldn't afford, venal bankers and investment brokers and others of similar character will be "helped." We will pay.

This is, I suppose, the inevitable result of the nanny state that first came into being in Franklin Roosevelt's day and blossomed during subsequent administrations. Despite the bleatings of certain economists, money is indeed a finite commodity. You cannot spend it when you don't have it.

But that is what our governments have done.

So I'm guessing my relocation, if I can manage it, will only be a temporary respite.

It was fun while it lasted, I guess.

The latest news is that the state's legislature will meet at 11:00 tonight to pass the "budget" that, like Washington's "stimulus" plans, was crafted in private and not revealed in full to the public even now.

I don't think I'll stay up for that. I can read about how badly we've been screwed tomorrow.

And then start trying to figure out some way to escape.

To where? I have no idea.

Maybe George Noory will have suggestions. He always knows where the space aliens are congregating....

6 comments:

mr-stu said...

Oh the joy of politicians in charge who have no idea what to do and then leave the people to pay the bills, we have the same situation here as well!

chezmoi said...

No state income tax in Texas and the food is great.

Anonymous said...

Leave California. It's all so screwed up there. I left in 2003 without any regret at all. CA is an entitlement state and they've spent themeselves just plain silly. Many of my friends who have businesses there have had to close up shop and take their work to other states. It's too expensive to live and run a business there and now they are in real mess.

Benita said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John0 Juanderlust said...

I just got here, but I'm not actually more than a visitor as I am still a TN resident.
Also I will make it a point not to own much in CA. There are few places that don't have the same garbage encroaching. States without income tax are few and often have other schemes and weirdness.
The koolaid has been put in the water everywhere. Maybe Wyoming or somewhere is freer.

Anonymous said...

Tennessee has NO state income tax. My town also has NO city taxes. The food is good here and we enjoy 4 distinct seasons of the year which are usually mild compared to those farther north and south. Sales tax on purchases is 9.25%.