Friday, July 28, 2006
Page 7
IN MY OPINION (Column)
Robin Hood or the Sheriff of Nottingham
By RAYMOND N. HAYNES
Phil Angelides has made no secret of the fact that he wants to raise taxes (if he becomes Governor that is). Like all liberals, he talks about taxing the rich to pay for government largesse. Liberals consistently trot out tired platitudes and rehash failed ideas when it comes to solving the problems of California. Just for the record, we increased spending over last year by 12% with the recently passed budget. But it is still not enough to placate them. No matter how much they spend, it’s never enough. There is always some social program for the poor that needs more funding.
To be fair, Angelides doesn’t actually want to raise “your” taxes. He wants to raise “their” taxes; as in the rich who aren’t supposedly paying their fair share. We have heard this song and dance before. Taxing the rich is to Democrats, what marijuana is to heroin addicts. Taxing the rich is their gateway drug to taxing us all. Phil Angelides doesn’t just want to tax the rich. He wants to tax YOU!
And why does he feel the need to raise your taxes? He says we need to increase education funding, raise employee salaries, and take care of the poor through dozens of social programs (many benefiting illegal aliens).
Before we go any farther, I just want to give you some facts (something sadly missing in the liberal diatribes). According to Americans for Tax Reform, the top 20% of all taxpayers (those making over $71,000 per year), pay 83.9% of all the taxes.
In 2001, at UC Berkeley (of course!), Angelides stated unequivocally that he would like to see a weakening in the protections afforded homeowners by Proposition 13. He supported the illegal tripling of the car tax by Governor Gray Davis and criticized Governor Schwarzenegger when he kept his campaign promise and repealed it.
In 2003-2004, Angelides proposed numerous additional taxes. He wanted to raise the state sales tax rate, the state income tax rate, the corporate tax rate, and institute a tax on farm equipment and diesel fuel used in farming activities. Angelides even sought to raise property taxes on commercial properties. These taxes punish the lower and middle class working families, not the rich. A friend of the working man he is not.
In 1898, Congress levied a tax on the few wealthy Americans who had telephones to help fund the Spanish-American War. It was “only” a penny per call. The war lasted four months. The tax, which will finally die on July 31, has been with us for 108 years.
What started out as a scheme to “soak the rich” at a penny per call morphed into a monstrosity that taxed everyone three percent of their overall phone bill. Once a tax is implemented, it’s with us for generations, if not forever.
I don’t always agree with Governor Schwarzenegger, but at least he has brought down the deficit without imposing any new taxes. Phil Angelides, like all liberals, is addicted to raising taxes. In his mind, he takes from the “rich” to give to the poor, but he looks a lot more like the Sheriff of Nottingham if you ask me.
Copyright 2006, Metropolitan News Company