GOVERNOR BROWN’S BUDGET REVISE & TAX INCREASE PROPOSAL
On May 14, Governor Brown announced the budget deficit is now at a
staggering $16 billion – $7 billion more than his initial budget in
January. As shocking as that number may be, it should come as no
surprise and neither should the Governor’s kneejerk call for higher
taxes as a “solution” for our problems.
It’s time to stop kicking the can down the road and give the people of California an on-time, authentic budget, not one full of gimmicks and tricks. We need to live within our means and focus our limited resources on core government services that will educate our children, keep our streets safe and keep criminals behind bars where they belong. Instead, the Governor’s budget proposal calls for spending $5 billion more this fiscal year than last and wants taxpayers to pick up the tab for the irresponsible growth in government.
The last thing we need is higher taxes and I will not support the misguided tax increase plans pushed by the Governor or anyone else. California’s unemployment rate is nearly 11 percent, and people are trying to make it harder to do business here? Making it harder to hire more workers or buy equipment? That makes zero sense.
A red hot economy is what California needs, but we will never tax and spend our way to prosperity. Just take a look at Greece to see how the tax-and-spend model is working. If we don’t change our ways, California will be the next Greece. That is why I support a spending cap for our state. It is why I support lowering taxes, giving businesses and entrepreneurs the right incentives to invest and expand, and letting families keep more of the money they earn to help make ends meet.
It is why I support the California Citizens Compensation Committee’s decision to cut my pay – and the pay of every other legislator – by five percent this year. That is a recipe for private sector growth and success that will get people off of unemployment and back in the workforce. I will do all I can to help guide our state down the path towards a better California.