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>>The thing is, California died a long time ago. The state which elected Ronald Reagan as governor is long, long gone. Reagan is single-handedly responsible fo
by enraged_camel 11y ago
>>The thing is, California died a long time ago. The state which elected Ronald Reagan as governor is long, long gone.
Reagan is single-handedly responsible for the decline of California. Prop 13 ensured that the state would always have too little revenue to support its growing population, resulting in cuts to the state's school system, infrastructure projects, social services, and more.
Edit: I suppose the downvotes are normal considering HN's above-average libertarian slant...
- refurb 11y agoCalifornia's per person tax revenues are some of the highest in the entire country. So what you're saying is if the gov't could only have a bit more money everything would be great?
- enraged_camel 11y agoThe reason California's per person tax revenues are some of the highest in the entire country IS because California needs to offset the greatly reduced tax revenue from properties. The problem is that this status quo benefits the wealthy (who tend to own many properties) at the expense of middle and working classes.
- refurb 11y agoWhen I said "tax revenues" I was including all taxes: income, property, sales, etc. It would appear California has more than made up for their low property taxes with other taxes. Yet, they still need more money?
- enraged_camel 11y agoYes, California has made up for the low property taxes with other taxes. Like I said though, what matters is where those other taxes come from and how they affect the taxpayer. For example, sales tax is regressive: it hurts the poor more than it hurts the rich. Same thing with income tax: the rich tend to have their income from various investments, which are taxed at a lower rate than payroll.