re: #408 freetoken

We have a real problem in this state’s politics, and it is in the legislature not the governor’s mansion.

With the way California’s constitution and laws work, we now have permanent gridlock in the legislature, because it takes a 2/3rds majority to make the changes that are needed.

One side only wants to raise taxes and not cut spending. The other side wants to only cut spending and not raise taxes. They never settle this, so every year we get into emergency legislation, and yet that still doesn’t cover the debt and we’re running out of credit space in the market.

The real answer, on which few politicians will campaign, is that we have to do both. We have to cut spending AND raise taxes. My hope is that Brown will champion reality and not party line dogma. If anyone can get the (D) majority block to go along with cutting some spending, and I mean not short term / temporary cuts like they’ve been doing but rather realigning the salary base and retirement promises more in line with reality, then Brown is the guy to do it. He won’t do it though without some sort of concession from the (R) minority. The income tax rate is going to have to be raised.

As I said, I’m hoping Brown can cut through the mess and convince our fellow Californians that we have to permanently change some things.

Why can’t spending simply be cut without raising income taxes?