Is Sacramento playing favorites with tax credits?
By Jon Coupal Just two months ago this column criticized Sacramento for subsidizing those politically connected companies that are part of the “in” crowd with millions in tax credits while maintaining high taxes on less glamorous industries. Auto maker Tesla has recently been “gifted” $35 million in this fashion and both Democratic and Republican lawmakers […]
Why Not Sustainability in a Spending Limit?
By Jon Coupal Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown delivered the keynote address at a sustainability summit hosted by the Los Angeles Business Council. While the summit focused on California’s environmental, energy and water policy, we have to wonder whether the governor will exert the same effort in support of fiscal sustainability now that he […]
Filing Tax Returns crosses party lines–it’s a pain in the neck
By Jon Coupal In filing his tax returns, Donald Rumsfeld included a letter to the IRS stating, “As in prior years, it is important for you to know that I have absolutely no idea whether our tax returns and our tax payments are accurate.” Now critics of the former secretary of defense and member of […]
Gone to Texas–why businesses are leaving California
By Jon Coupal Texas Governor Rick Perry is returning to California, and to left-leaning politicians in Sacramento he is about as welcome as Godzilla in Tokyo. The cause of this consternation is Perry’s pro-business record which exposes all the weaknesses of the California approach to governing. While Texas focuses on job creation, California lawmakers give […]
What the Best Governors Look Like – And they aren’t in California
. . By Jon Coupal Suppose you pick up your typical California newspaper and see headlines like, “State Unemployment Far Below the National Average” and “State Running Healthy Surplus; Gov. to Return Money to Taxpayers.” You just might find yourself paraphrasing Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, “Sutter Brown, I’ve got a feeling were […]
In With the ‘In’ Crowd
By Jon Coupal It’s good to be in with the “in” crowd, especially when the “in” crowd is made up of Sacramento politicians capable of doling out millions of dollars in tax credits. Those currently in with the “in” crowd include any industry or company that can somehow attach “green” to their credentials. This helps […]
Legislature Wakes Up to Pension Problem
. By Jon Coupal Is it possible that the California Legislature is finally coming to grips with the public employee pension crisis? We certainly hope so. For years, our political leadership has behaved more like ostriches with their heads buried in the sand regarding the many billions of dollars of “unfunded liabilities” in California’s pension […]
Editorial: They Want to Double the Car Tax
Stop Sign of the Times By Jon Coupal Many Californians may not have noticed, but their wallets just avoided getting hit by a speeding car tax. Last month, the Attorney General cleared a measure entitled the “California Road Repairs Act of 2014” to begin collecting signatures for placement on the November ballot. Backed […]
Do We Need More State Workers?
By Jon Coupal Government employee union leaders are grinning from ear to ear. Governor Brown wants to hire an additional 1,600 employees and jettison some state contracts with private sector workers. It’s been said that all government work should be subjected to the “Yellow Pages test.” If a service provider can be found in the […]
Undermining Prop 13: State Set to Drive Out Business
By Jon Coupal A handful of far-left, Bay Area activists think they have come up with a clever plan to chip away at Proposition 13. Specifically, they are attempting to persuade local school boards and city councils to pass resolutions in support of removing Prop 13 protections for business property. While “resolutions” are not laws, […]
