Tag "John Seiler"

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Spending Actually $121 Bill Higher

John Seiler: The wrangling over the $12 billion in taxes in Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed 2011-12 budget of $86 billion usually ignores something: All the federal tax money California gets. The Bee reports: The federal government gave California’s state government $120.7

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Bring Out the Budget Scissors

MARCH 31, 2011 By JOHN SEILER The voters have spoken: Cut the budget even more. Gov. Jerry Brown and Democrats in the Legislature have spent several months insisting that voters must have the opportunity to approve extensions of Gov. Arnold

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I Can't Afford a Tax Increase

John Seiler: I usually make coffee at home. But this morning, I got a Starbucks. Fishing around in my wallet for the money, I noticed I only had a couple of dollars left. Yet I recently patronized the cash machine.

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Brown's Punch & Judy Budget Show

MARCH 30, 2011 By JOHN SEILER California’s budget comedy resembles an old Punch & Judy puppet show, with Gov. Jerry Brown in the role of Punch, whom Wikipedia describes: He carries a stick as large as himself, which he freely uses

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Who's Drinking the Budget Kool-Aid?

John Seiler: Some budget action might take place today. But who knows. Meanwhile, government apologist Peter Schrag charges that Republicans, “having swallowed Grover Norquist’s no-new-taxes Kool-Aid, and intimidated by a couple of Southern California radio talkers, would try to block

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Import Gov. Cuomo to California!

John Seiler: Why is it that, whether our governors are Democrat or Republican, they always increase taxes? Republican Govs. Wilson and Schwarzenegger increased taxes. So did Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. And Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown now is pushing $12 billion

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Is the GOP Dead in California?

John Seiler: When I first got interested in politics as a kid in the 1960s, people talked of the “Solid South,” meaning only Democrats got elected there. The region was dominated by old segregationists like Sen. John Stennis of Mississippi

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Will Brown Hike Taxes w/o Election?

MARCH 28, 2011 By JOHN SEILER If you watch politics long enough, you see everything. The latest is progressives acting like conservatives on the state budget deficit and the liberals’ desire to raise taxes $12 billion. Last week a PPIC

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Pensions Dominate Supe Race

March 27, 2011 John Seiler: For Republicans, at least, the state and local pension crisis now dominates races. Those in the past who backed pension spiking are going to be blasted for it. You might remember Chuck DeVore (top pciture)

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GOP Finally Gets Budget Action

MARCH 26, 2011 By JOHN SEILER There are a lot of problems with the list of budget demands Republicans proposed, such as retaining redevelopment. (The full list is here.) But at least they’re finally getting a rise out of Democrats.

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