Miami Mayor Recalled for Tax Hikes
John Seiler:
California legislators eager to put a tax increase on a special election ballot in June, as demanded by spendthrift Gov. Jerry Brown, should look to Miami. The people there just recalled Mayor Carlos Alvarez for the “Miami Vice” of increasing taxes.
With 707 of 829 precincts reporting, official results showed 88 percent of voters backed the effort to oust the once-popular mayor, who is his second four-year term.
It was the biggest such ouster, or recall, of an elected official before the end of his official term since California voters tossed out Democratic Governor Gray Davis in 2003.
A Republican, Alvarez was first elected mayor in 2004 and re-elected in 2008….
The Cuban-born Alvarez came under criticism last year when Miami-Dade, saddled with record high 12 percent unemployment and the same budget deficits faced by many local and state governments, introduced a property tax increase to help fund vital services including police and public schools.
The 14 percent tax hike was imposed despite double-digit declines in real estate values as south Florida was hammered by the U.S. housing and mortgage foreclosure crisis.
Sounds like California, doesn’t it? Not an exact match. But pretty close. Our unemployment, 12.4 percent, is similar to Miami’s 12 percent. Real estate crashed here, too. Well, at least we don’t have bugs the size of lobbyists.
Too bad we didn’t recall Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who as governor was as obsessed with increasing taxes as he was with injection himself with steroids while a bodybuilder and actor. In 2009, he boosted taxes a record $13 billion and should have faced “Total Recall.”
Anyway, Gov. Jerry Brown and anyone in the Legislature who backs tax increases, especially Republican legislators, should face a recall. Kick the bums out!
Taxes are too high everywhere and are choking off business and jobs creation. And without jobs, the tax base erodes, making budget deficits even higher.
Look to Miami: Recall, recall, recall.
March 16, 2011
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