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Majority Rule Needed, Not a Recall
Posted Sep 08, 2008 2:04am
by Elliott D. Petty
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Posts with the tag Yacht Party
Want some shock and awe, many vital programs are going unfunded as the state of California enters it 70th day without a new budget. In short order, health care programs are having difficulty making their payroll, college students are digging in their empty pockets to pay tuition and low-income working parents no longer receive the assistance they need for childcare. All this while Republicans stick to their no tax increase pledge.
As a hopelessly minority party in Sacramento, state Republicans have successfully stuck to their guns thanks to the two-thirds requirement to pass a budget. Which means, Democrats must persuade five Republicans in the Assembly and two more in the Senate before their can be any budget compromise. In an ironic twist, Repbulican State Senator Tom McClintock believes there should only be a simple majority needed to pass a new budget. Read More »
As a hopelessly minority party in Sacramento, state Republicans have successfully stuck to their guns thanks to the two-thirds requirement to pass a budget. Which means, Democrats must persuade five Republicans in the Assembly and two more in the Senate before their can be any budget compromise. In an ironic twist, Repbulican State Senator Tom McClintock believes there should only be a simple majority needed to pass a new budget. Read More »
The primary reason Republicans continue to hold the state hostage and deny us a budget is they are afraid that if they vote for a necessary tax increase, they will face a primary challenge from within their party, either for their current seat or for another office in the future. All such a challenger would have to do is say "Joe Blow voted for a tax increase" and the challenger, flush with money from the Club for Growth, the Howard Jarvis Association, and the other usual suspects will take out the incumbent.
The only way to challenge that calculus is to suggest that these Republicans will face a greater backlash from voters than from other wingnuts. California voters, especially those in districts represented by Republicans, hold the most leverage in the current budget stalemate. Read More »
The only way to challenge that calculus is to suggest that these Republicans will face a greater backlash from voters than from other wingnuts. California voters, especially those in districts represented by Republicans, hold the most leverage in the current budget stalemate. Read More »
Once again, State Sen. Don Perata emerges from budget negotiations to announce a compromise that gives significant concessions to the Republican Party and their governor. But even that may not be enough as Assembly Yacht Party leader Mike Villines speaks skeptically of Perata's deal. Meanwhile the Blogosphere is raging against the Democratic machine for accepting a Spending Cap and organized labor thus far is eerily quiet.
Gathering from loose reports, the deal involves a combustible mixture of a temporary one-cent sales tax increase which would later revert to a permanent sales tax decrease; contributions to a rainy day fund for the next time our budget is in deficit; either a hard or soft spending cap; and powers granted to the governor to cut spending when revenues fall short, given California is the only state in the union that creates an annual budget in the middle of a calendar year. Read More »
Gathering from loose reports, the deal involves a combustible mixture of a temporary one-cent sales tax increase which would later revert to a permanent sales tax decrease; contributions to a rainy day fund for the next time our budget is in deficit; either a hard or soft spending cap; and powers granted to the governor to cut spending when revenues fall short, given California is the only state in the union that creates an annual budget in the middle of a calendar year. Read More »
That's what California Republicans are planning this summer, according the LA Times:
GOP lawmakers hope to use their leverage over the state budget, which cannot pass without some of their votes, to roll back landmark policies implemented by Democrats and the governor. Among them are curbs on greenhouse gas emissions, regulations banning the dirtiest diesel engines and rules dictating when employers must provide lunch breaks for workers.Read More »
Ever protective of their "Yacht Party" image, the California GOP took the repeated step of blocking a $7 billion plan to improve the state's horrid prison system. This comes in the midst of a court-appointed receiver threatening to unilaterally raid our cash-strapped state treasury to pay for health care and inmate capacity improvements himself. State Republicans also plan to head the state into a trial in Federal Court over this messy situation, which could result in the mass release of prisoners, according to the LA Times. Read More »
Earlier this week it emerged that Arnold planned to visit the St. Francis Yacht Club for a party hosted by a European yacht manufacturer. This seemed pretty ironic given the successful Yacht Party ad campaign launched by the Courage Campaign this week, attacking the Republicans as a party favoring yacht owners over everyone else in California.
Amusingly, our cowardly governor did not even show up, as Josh Richman explains:
Amusingly, our cowardly governor did not even show up, as Josh Richman explains:
I waited, and waited, and waited, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't show today at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco's Marina District for an event unveiling a hybrid pleasure-boat engine.Read More »
After helping Courage Campaign roll out our latest Yacht Party ad, Arianna Huffington wants to talk to you on Wednesday about her new book, "Right is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution and Made Us All Less Safe". This is an awesome new edition of our Courage Campaign Conversations that came to life last month with Secretary of State Debra Bowen's call and will continue strong this Wednesday from 6pm-7pm. Arianna Huffington doesn't need my help though, so I'll let her invite you properly herself: Read More »
Here in the dog days of April, as the state awaits the governor's May Revise, frustration seems to be setting in over the budget. The real political battles will begin in earnest after the May Revise, but the jockeying for position has been going on for some time, including in the state's media. Unsurprisingly, the media wants to spin the budget crisis as a failure of all Sacramento politicians, when in fact the current impasse is the responsibility of one group alone: the Republicans.
As an article in Sunday's Sac Bee would have us believe, there is "scant support for budget changes." But a deeper look shows that while Democrats have already proposed budget fixes, such as closing the yacht loophole and creating an oil severance tax (as exists in nearly every other state), it is the Republicans alone that have blocked meaningful budget action.
And why have they done so? Republicans want us to believe that *any* revenue solution is economically damaging:
But whose economy is stimulated by revenue cuts? Who actually sees this so-called economic growth? And who suffers from the spending cuts that are forced by the revenue cuts? A closer look at the overall situation shows that the Republicans' claims are nonsense. Tax cuts provide economic growth for a wealthy few, but cause economic distress for pretty much everyone else - *especially* when those tax cuts come at the expense of education. More below. Read More »
As an article in Sunday's Sac Bee would have us believe, there is "scant support for budget changes." But a deeper look shows that while Democrats have already proposed budget fixes, such as closing the yacht loophole and creating an oil severance tax (as exists in nearly every other state), it is the Republicans alone that have blocked meaningful budget action.
And why have they done so? Republicans want us to believe that *any* revenue solution is economically damaging:
However, Sen. Dave Cogdill of Modesto, the GOP's incoming leader, said the state should not take away credits at a time when the economy is struggling.
Other ideas that have yet to gain traction would raise income taxes on high-wage earners or amend Proposition 13 to assess businesses in the same way as residential property. The latter, known as "split-roll" property tax, would require that commercial and industrial properties be reassessed more regularly, bringing the state an estimated $3 billion annually.
Cogdill dismissed all as non-starters.
"We should help the general fund by stimulating the economy and be a more beneficial partner with industry, rather than stifling them," Cogdill said.
But whose economy is stimulated by revenue cuts? Who actually sees this so-called economic growth? And who suffers from the spending cuts that are forced by the revenue cuts? A closer look at the overall situation shows that the Republicans' claims are nonsense. Tax cuts provide economic growth for a wealthy few, but cause economic distress for pretty much everyone else - *especially* when those tax cuts come at the expense of education. More below. Read More »
Lately, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has begun to move away from his staunch no new taxes rhetoric towards softer language that leaves the door open to a more politically palatable position of "revenue increases." Two weeks ago this blogger pointed out that the Yacht Party approach to balancing the budget by cutting essential services to the bone garneredvery little support, in the state, even amongst its own base. Read More »
Cross posted at Calitics
Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) is one of the co-stars of our Yacht Ad, and apparently he isn't particularly excited about it. Steve Wiegand notes a "bemused" Blakeslee claiming that the current $8 billion deficit is somehow related to him first voting for, then voting against, closing the sloophole.
Well unfortuantely for Asm. Blakeslee, when you vote for it before you voted against it, Rick Jacobs is right-"There's a little John Kerry in there." It isn't up to him to decide when votes are symbolic or substantive, and switching sides on the issue "in a sign of solidarity" with fellow GOPers doesn't really signal a commitment to moving beyond partisanism for the good of the state. In fact, it's the "party solidarity" that's been the problem all along. Read More »
Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) is one of the co-stars of our Yacht Ad, and apparently he isn't particularly excited about it. Steve Wiegand notes a "bemused" Blakeslee claiming that the current $8 billion deficit is somehow related to him first voting for, then voting against, closing the sloophole.
Well unfortuantely for Asm. Blakeslee, when you vote for it before you voted against it, Rick Jacobs is right-"There's a little John Kerry in there." It isn't up to him to decide when votes are symbolic or substantive, and switching sides on the issue "in a sign of solidarity" with fellow GOPers doesn't really signal a commitment to moving beyond partisanism for the good of the state. In fact, it's the "party solidarity" that's been the problem all along. Read More »
Tomorrow night, thanks to your help and contributions, the Yacht Party video will air on cable TV in Sacramento - specifically CNN, MSNBC, The Daily Show, and the Colbert Report. And our success has been getting attention. Lisa Vorderbrueggen at the Contra Costa Times writes:
The ad has gotten quite a bit of attention. It’s a clever poke at Assembly Republicans who refused to close a tax that allows purchasers of boats, RVs and other recreational toys to keep them out-of-state for 90 days and and avoid paying sales taxes....
But at a time when the state may have to lay off thousands of teachers and cut services to the poor, the symbolism of allowing a yacht buyer to sit in Mexico for three months to avoid paying taxes is hitting a nerve.
This is a fantastic development - and as noted below, in the email we sent out to our members, it can get much better.
Read More »
On Thursday, we shared with you our video highlighting how Republicans in the state legislature prefer to protect tax loopholes for yachts and private jets instead of protecting education (can you help us get the video on the air?).
Well, it didn't take long for the video to make the rounds. Calfornia Majority Report, The Ruth Group, and COTAM were among the blogs that helped to spread our message.
Over at the Contra Costa Times, Lisa Vorderbrueggen ran with our concerns over the "sloophole" that the GOP seems to love so much. Plus, the Yacht Party video gets the full rundown over at the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert, explaining
The controversy stems from a recent Assembly vote in which Republicans killed legislation to close a loophole allowing wealthy Californians to avoid paying state sales and use taxes on luxury boats, recreational vehicles and planes by keeping them out of state for three months after buying them.
Commenter racherman at Capitol Alert rightly notes that "Closing tax loopholes on yachts is not going to fix the fundamental problem of our state budget." There isn't $16 billion hiding behind the sloophole. But we start by fighting the most absurd and shocking flaws with the budget and work into the real heart of the issue- opening a real discussion about fundamental budget issues. But we can't get there until we get past here.
This is an opening salvo to trim some of the most unbelievable budgetary chaff. How far it goes and how hard it hits depends on your support between now and 12 p.m. on Tuesday.
The back and forth between the candidates, the fights over pastors and passports, is feeling less and less relevant and important. Especially for those of us here in California, where nearly 20,000 teachers got a layoff notice. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Republicans want to balance the budget on these teachers' backs, and refuse to even consider any tax increase to help close our structural revenue shortfall.
As despicable as that is, perhaps the worst and most telling moment came last month when Republicans voted against closing a loophole favoring wealthy yacht owners. But with your help, we can turn this into the political breakthrough we need to finally turn this state around and beat back far-right ideology. Read More »
As despicable as that is, perhaps the worst and most telling moment came last month when Republicans voted against closing a loophole favoring wealthy yacht owners. But with your help, we can turn this into the political breakthrough we need to finally turn this state around and beat back far-right ideology. Read More »
Thanks to the current budget problems, here in San Diego I've had friends telling me about teachers receiving pink slips during class; adding insult to injury in an amazingly cruel way. In the meantime, rumors are flying about projections of 60 student average class size when the dust settles. Needless to say, this is grabbing people's attention.
As the budget crisis begins to hit the people who are directly devoting themselves to raising a smarter generation, Republicans in Sacramento are fighting tooth and nail to protect their rich yachting friends. The contrast is, to say the least (and steal from Rick Jacobs), shocking and unbelievable. Education is where everything else in society starts, so to begin the cuts there...well...you tell me.
Further down, Rick Jacobs has the details on the opening salvo from the Courage Campaign:
---------------------- Read More »
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