In her January constituent newsletter, Assemblywoman Beth Gaines reacted to Governor Brown's "State of the State Address" by saying "I heard . . . that Sacramento needs to tax its way out of its current spending problem."
She implies Brown would solve California's problems only with taxes, sounding good to her base, but incorrect. Brown proposes SOME taxes, along with some budget reductions. What kinds of taxes, and their place in the overall picture, must be carefully considered? Gaines must say “no” because she has made a pledge to an unelected outsider (Grover Norquist of Virginia) to never, never vote to raise ANY tax regardless of the reason or the need. Never mind if schools deteriorate, etc.
The money has to come from somewhere. If we want services, we have to be willing to pay for them somehow.
Pure obstructionism is not a way of life in politics, but “just saying no” could be what got Gaines assigned to the Assembly's "dog house" mini-office for a while.
Republican Linda Park, RJUHSD Trustee, is running against Gaines in the upcoming Assembly primary. Will she also subscribe to the Norquist "pledge" which has proven to be so divisive, bringing on bickering and stalling legislative progress?
The Democrat in the Assembly District 6 primary election is Reginald Bronner, of Lincoln. He states that he owes allegiance only to District voters, and will be free to consider all possibilities for bi-partisan solutions. For more information, visit his website here.