Just yesterday I was thinking loudly with my brother and asking “why do we always need a crisis to wake us up morally and spiritually?”, “Can’t we just be aware and awake?”

I thought I’d just share this with you…

1. Your right the tax system will always effect others more than some. This is why I am such an advocate for flat tax. I strongly feel that our tax system should be based on consumption. People who have more money will generally consume more and thus pay a larger share of the tax burden.

2. True the wealthy are a bit more savvy on finding ways to shield there money. But the ways that i am aware of to shield money require additional investments. Which is a very fair trade off. I’m far from wealthy but I’m so thankful for the country our forefathers built for us, making it possible for anyone to accomplish great things. I for example am currently risking all the money I have managed to save including my retirement and putting it into lemons and pomegranates. I have about 35 - 50K to my name and I’m going in with good Friend of mine. The reason I mention this is because I recently found out that any income produced from my investment, is “shielded” for 15 years. Now is that fair, by my estimation, absolutely. I’m risking everything, I’m going to be making large purchases of trees, ag chems, and labor. So I think, as far as I can tell, this “shield” is often associated with cheating or only benefiting the wealthy when that just isn’t the case. Sure we can point to illegal methods, that can be done up and down the ladder which would lead to no where.

3. I’m absolutely concerned with the welfare of both rich and poor. I am in agreement that the deal with Hollywood is unrealistic and unfair.

4. Mismanagement in Sacramento is a given at this point. Which is why I’m in favor of school vouchers. I have a child and if a private sector school can give my son a better education I’m not going to let him suffer from another failed government program. So the choice of a voucher brings competition for my tax dollar and if the local school has it together that’s where I’d like to send my son. If they don’t have their act together then I’d like to have my tax voucher and take it to a school that does. A voucher system would benefit everyone equally. I feel terribly for children in schools that want to learn and are forced to be surrounded by other kids that have absent or worse parents.

5. I think our focus on the budget is misguided. There are to many assumptions at that level. What we really need to do in my opinion is get on our hands and knees and ask these businesses that can’t get out of here fast enough, to places like Mississippi in Toyota’s case, and ask them what we need to do to keep our jobs here, and how can we help in there planned expansions that they are abandoning as a result of ever increasing burdens the state government is placing on them. A side note I read an article that I was unable to locate again said some 40% of large business are considering moving out of state. The interested part of the article is that 85% of the employees where interested in getting out of this state. It spoke volumes to me, and it should be understood by every single policy maker in this state. Wake up California.

Actually, I think some sort of luxury tax might be beneficial to generating additional revenue. The reality is that the tax system will always target certain groups over others. Part of that is the way the law is written and part of that is the wealthy are a bit more savvy on finding ways to shield themselves from paying taxes.

Though it is unfortunate that the poor see a larger share of their earnings taxed than wealthier sectors of our economy. Again, even a flatter tax may be more just than what we currently have in California (and that’s not saying much).

You are concerned that the California government is “punishing” the successful, but you seem not concerned at all that our state government is punishing the poor among us. While our state gives exemptions to Hollywood executives, it will generate additional cuts toward the poor. For example, the proposed cuts in education will devastate the already stressed public education system. The wealthy will have no problem sending their kids to private schools that have resources, while the poor will find themselves paying the cost of mismanagement in Sacramento.

I’m not reprimanding anyone in this post nor would I do that in other posts. I’m simply trying to point out that balancing the state budget should not be on the back of the poor.

1. Personally I’m against target taxing any group of people, especially soccer moms in SUV’s. If we were to agree that the the haves need to do more, why not target the luxury vehicles, lexus, Mercedes, and the like?

2. A revenue problem hasn’t always been an issue in this state. There fore we would be foolish to report “that’s the problem” and not dig a little deeper to locate the root cause of our new found struggle for revenue. The major cause I submit to you is California’s punish the successful ideology. I believe this article one of many http://www.halfwaytoconcord.co.....er-states/ will demonstrate my point. It shows how a huge job maker like Toyota can go from planning to invest billions of dollars into California’s economy thru expanding it’s operations here one second, and shut there doors down and abandoning the state all together in the next. What California fails to recognize is that we live in a free country. When business is unfair to it’s employees they have the freedom to find another job here or in another state if they please. Same with business, they have the same right as the employee to relocate if the atmosphere becomes to harsh as it has for most businesses in California. I Cherish this freedom, and it’s a reminder that freedom is not dead, and the state still does not have the power to dictate to us, or infringe on our freedom of choice. To summarize we need to compete for these jobs just like the rest of the country is. We must run the state like a business, not a dictatorship because no one is trapped here. Dictatorship has yet to reveal it’s ugly head and employees and business owners have the right to go plant in fertile ground.

3. Seems that were on the same page with fair tax, or flat tax. Everyone should have the right to save in lean times and spend when there is plenty.

4. All I can say is people who create jobs for the poor should be praised not reprimanded. These job makers made it possible for the poor to feed there families. I agree that we can no longer support a system that empowers poverty, we could go biblical, and remember that if you do not work, you do not eat.

5. I agree that taxes should be based on consumption.

Thanks
http://financeforrealstate.blogspot.com/