Union’s Cure for State Budget Shortfall? Raise Taxes!
Posted on December 4, 2008
-By Warner Todd Huston
Apparently, the Service Employees International Union is worried about the state of California’s budget. The SEIU, one of the nation’s biggest employee unions for state workers, would like Sacramento to know they have a cure for the millions in the red state budget.
Could it be that the union is going to offer cutbacks for its exorbitant union perks? Maybe a cut in their overly generous pension is in order? How about a cut in the pay scale that they enjoy, a scale that exceeds the private sector in nearly every way?
Well, don’t be ridiculous. The union is not offering to help the state with its budget. The union is demanding that the state raise taxes to keep them in the lifestyle to which they undeservedly have become accustomed.
And to “help” with that tax, the SEIU has offered an important message for California lawmakers.
Well, we here at the blog have another road to offer the folks at California’s state house.
Gut the unions, cut back on exorbitant pensions, cut back on overweening healthcare, and cut salaries. Then fire a whole lot of unnecessary state workers. Then you can start getting rid of programs and welfare give aways that you don’t need.
But, don’t raise taxes. After all. Your state is already one of the worst states in the union for high taxes and an anti-business atmosphere causing jobs to be literally running elsewhere.
The unions are antithetical to effective government. Listen to them and matters will only worsen.
Naturally, I assumed that the union would NOT offer any cuts for itself when I first saw this “ad” that it placed. I automatically assumed that the SEIU’s ideas of what will “solve” California’s budget woes won’t include any cutbacks in its own perks and undeserved emoluments. Looks like the Sacramento Bee is proving me right.
The unions’ dream budget
With lawmakers at an impasse over the state budget, the SEIU State Council, which represents state workers, took it upon itself to propose its own dream plan Tuesday.
And we mean dream in the politest of terms, as in it might happen in a parallel universe where Democrats don’t need any Republican votes and federal dollars pour from the sky.
First off, it includes no cuts.
It then raises taxes by $14.2 billion through June 2010. The plan proposes a targeted increase in the state’s vehicle-license fee that hits only vehicles worth more than $20,000. It also increases taxes on households making above $250,000 a year, imposes a tax on oil production, increases alcohol taxes and broadens the sales tax to include entertainment.
The SEIU budget finally raises a remaining $15 billion through a federal bailout, including a $10 billion payment in 2009-10.
Wish I could say I was surprised.
» Filed Under Democrats, Economy, News, SEIU, Socialism, Taxes, Union Mafias/Thugs, Video
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4 Responses to “Union’s Cure for State Budget Shortfall? Raise Taxes!”
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I’m curios as to your opinion on the state of california cutting education- again- billions of dollars next year to solve our budget crisis. I agree with you that we should be cutting programs that we really don’t need in the first place, but education has been hit too hard and there are many of us here who are ready to organize something big (as in protests) if we need to. If you lived here then you’d understand that education is the last thing we should be cutting, right? But I disagree with your strict no new taxes stance, because I believe the only way to pay off our budget deficit is to both cut programs and raise taxes; Only one won’t due.
Actually, we spend too much money on education all across the country at one point or another. But, in truth, most of the money doesn’t GO to the REAL education of a student. It is wasted on too many administrators and overly indulgent union contracts. the kids are the last to get any benefit and what they get is poor.
For instance, no illegals should be allowed to go to school — especially colleges — PERIOD. Waste of money. There are too many administrators. The unions need to be eliminated universally… there’s so much that can be cut that has NOTHING to do with actual teaching and the kids that it boggles the mind.
Cutting is ALL we need. The governments in the US get PLENTY of money from taxes. But it is utterly wasted. Cutting programs is the only cure worth considering.
Well I understand that but as of now, that’s not going to happen, and so we here need to think realistically. If these cuts go through there will be class sizes of 50-60 students, no more libraries, counselors, cuts backs on electives, massive sports cuts, and any teachers that aren’t tenured will be given up. I think step one is to fix the capital and all the people who serve in the legislature; especially the governor. If we find some competent people to run our state and make sure we don’t run deficits in the first place (how can they approve a 103 bllion dollar budget a month and a half ago when they only have 93 billion dollars to spend?? That’s what boggles my mind…), then anything else that needs to be dealt with can be by the right people. As for completely eradicating the unions, I don’t know enough about that certain situation to tell you whether or not it should be done.
Well, you are 100% right that it isn’t easy to fix any of it!
As to any lament about cutting sports, with me that is a dead issue. I see NO use for sports in schools. If I were king for a day, I’d eliminate ALL sports programs and spend the money on useful things. Music, science, math… you know, things that are USEFUL! Sports does NOTHING for anyone. It is useless in every sense of the word.
If kids want to join sports tams, there are plenty of them to join in the community. We don;t have to waste precious education budgets on garbage like sports.