So What's Not to Like?

John Seiler:

If Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed $12 billion tax increase isn’t put before voters, and approved by them, columnist George Skelton warns the state will be afflicted with:

shorter school years, even higher tuition, elimination of state welfare, crippling of healthcare and the release of many thousands of prisoners. Plus fewer fire crews, closed parks and a halt to highway repairs. For starters.

Let’s look at it:

* “Shorter school years”: That means less government indoctrination of young minds. And why should parents who pay tuition to send their kids to private or parochial schools be forced, again, to pay higher taxes for government schools they don’t use?

* “Even higher tuition” (for college students): Same thing: less indoctrination. And too many kids go to college anyway. For many, it’s four years wasted for a degree in politically correct interpretations of “The Wife of Bath” — after which the kids end up with tens of thousands of dollars of debt they have trouble paying down the rest of their lives. Better to start out getting a job at 18. Besides, the Internet now provides copious courses that are cheap or free, such as all of MIT’s course material.

* “Elimination of state welfare”: Actually, welfare is debilitating, as was demonstrated way back in 1965 in the famous “Moynihan Report” (by liberal Democrat Pat Moynihan, later a U.S. Senator from New York). People should depend on family, friends or charity. And tax increases themselves put people on welfare by killing jobs.

* “Crippling of healthcare”: Same thing: people who can’t afford health care should depend on family, friends or charity. We don’t need massive government bureaucracies to help us. And a lot of this cost comes from illegal immigrants. Why should taxpayers be socked with a bill for foreigners?

* “The release of thousands of prisoners”: ‘Bout time. About half the prison population is non-violent drug  users. Turn them out and legalize drugs while we’re at it. Portugal did that and crime dropped.

* “Fewer fire crews”: Switch to voluntary fire departments.

* “Closed parks”: Privatize them.

* “A halt to highway repairs”: make them private toll roads.

* “For starters.” Oh, yes, please — more and faster cuts.

See, balancing the budget, without tax increases, is really simple.  Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut.

Feb. 3, 2011