Wednesday, October 3, 2012

AMERICA 'S FUTURE .. CALIFORNIA OFFERS a DIFFERENT VISION of AMERICA’s FUTURE : HIGH TAXES, BURGEONING GOVERNMENT DEBT, CRUSHING REGULATIONS, GROWING WELFARE ROLLS , SOARING ENERGY COSTS, and a HEAVY LAWSUIT BURDEN grinding TOLL on the ONCE -GOLDEN STATE . .


It is oft said that if you want a glimpse of America’s future, look to California. The home to Hollywood has led the way in national trends from the first no-fault divorce law and the permissive Therapeutic Abortion Act of 1967 (both were signed into law by Ronald Reagan) to the great Proposition 13 property tax cut of 1978. It was California’s populist tax revolt, stoked by then-former Governor Reagan, which reframed the debate about the proper size of government and helped propel Reagan to the presidency in 1980.

Today California offers a different vision of America’s future: high taxes, burgeoning government debt, crushing regulations, rapidly growing welfare rolls, soaring energy costs, and a heavy lawsuit burden have taken a grinding toll on the once-Golden State.
According to the Tax Foundation, California’s state and local government consumed 11.8 percent of personal income in 2009, compared to the national average of 9.8 percent. By stark contrast, Texans pay 7.9 percent of income to support state and local government — making the Lone Star State the 45th-most-frugal state in the nation. Put another way, the cost of government in California is 49 percent greater than in Texas.
California’s large government pays for thousands of regulators who dutifully churn out thousands of new regulations, telling business owners that they’re not welcome. In fact, a 2007 study commissioned by the California legislature to determine the cost of regulations calculated that they amounted to a de facto tax of $134,122 for every small business in the state. The regulatory burden fuels an ongoing exodus of productive talent to more welcoming states
As bad as it is in California, it may get worse. Proposition 30 is on the ballot this November. If passed by the voters (it’s ahead in the polls), Brown’s tax will vault California’s already high income taxes to the highest in the nation: 21 percent ahead of current leader Hawaii.
California’s ruling class has crafted a government-centric public policy: We the People is now Of the Government, by the Government and for the Government.




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