The Meathead Initiative

The amazing thing about this Tuesday voting in California was that it was really a Democratic Primary but Republicans came out in droves anyway to defeat bullshit Propositions that get thrown on the ballot every year and frankly continue to weaken the State’s ability to get it’s finances in order.

This go-round included Prop 82 – a measure to tax anyone who makes over $400,000 to pay for “free” pre-school for 4-year olds “so they can improve their chances in the educational system”.

I hate Propositions like this. Let’s tax the “rich” to provide a nebulous benefit and create a further un-needed beauracy. This state, and this nation, cannot afford bullshit programs that feel good, sound good, by taxing everyone. Now some of you may say “well the rich can afford it” but where does it stop? We are over taxed in this country big time – and it occurs in so many ways you don’t even know about. This is not the way to govern. This is bad, bad government. (And just for the record I don’t make anything even remotely close to $400K – I just hate the principle that all of our ills can be solved if we create a bucket of taxes for people who some perceive can afford it ).

Even now the push to get the Estate Tax repealed is losing steam because of the President’s waning popularity. Why does it make sense that a man or women works their whole life to build a nest egg, a business, a farm – and then when they die it must be taxed again when it is bequeathed to their siblings. This is double taxation. It is wrong. But the argument will be this only affects the rich. Ya know what – as inflations rises et al this is affecting more of us any way – but in principle it is just plain wrong. And you may not realize but many of our parents with their pension plans (that today really don’t exist anymore in corporate America) are richer than they let on. This really affects many of “us”.

Ok I got off the point – but it’s similar. Let’s create a tax such that we can fund something – this is slippery slope folks – and one not to go down. I’m sure most of you pay close to 8% for sales tax right now. And politicians are always looking to raise that number. This means that on any goods you buy you pay a 10% surcharge on. Do you realize that ? Do you like that? I bet you didn’t realize.

I just realized that tax was recently imposed out here in la-la land for a 10% surcharge on all canned soft-drink purchases. I never knew what that extra charge was on my grocery receipt but now I know. Why should that be? Because some politician said “well if we tax this we can raise money for this”. This is just wrong.

Well that’s what Prop 82 was about. And it’s known as the Meathead Initiative. You see, Rob Reiner, the actor and producer who played the live-in son-in-law on the great comedy All in the Family is an out-of-control political activist. When I moved out here in the late 90’s he got a “prop” to get passed where they “taxed” buyers of cigarettes a ridiculous amount to pay for “education”. Again, another made-up tax. Of course we can tax those horrid cigarette smokers – and this got put up for a vote? Hey, why don’t we tax all the serial killers to create better driveways for everyone? This is pretty much the way it goes out here.

So Reiner’s cigarette deal wins and now his “group” has a bunch of money to create further taxes. They actually use these funds (illegally by state laws that they eventually got caught by no other than the LA Times – the wonder) to advertise for this new Prop 82 initiative. I’m not even going to try to argue why mandatory pre-school is either a good or bad idea – but I’ll have to tell you I don’t understand it. These guys go on and on about how children are left behind because they don’t have the prerequisite skills to enter into kindergarten?

I mean fucking come on! The first 13 grades are a skate – and probably even more now. Show up, write your name, pass the test – you will graduate. I know I am not an expert on what is going on now but when I was in school this was a romp. Do you really believe some assimilation with bead-making will really make a difference – and at a cost to our biggest breadwinners and job makers? That will, in itself, create another tax basket that will only be expanded upon and modified like a bad scab? This is just Orwellian crap.

The fact that Hollywood blowhards like Reiner (who I have liked in everything he has done on an entertainment scale “Diane – look at these swatches”) can get away with this Holy Grail crap and all the lemmings out here can nod and go “yeah that’s what we need” is outrageous . And, more so, it’s un-American.

This country was founded on the principle of no taxation without representation. And I don’t understand why out here in CA any new tax initiative can be put on a ballot for the willy nilly to vote in and or out. It’s fucking criminal.

Well anyway Prop 82 was soundly defeated in this Primary. And while the pull for the election was to vote for the two Democratic nominees for Governor, Republicans came out in droves to defeat this piece of krap.

Thank God America still works.

The other good news about this week’s Democratic primary is that State Treasurer Phil Angelides, a man who is on record that he will definitely raise state taxes, won the Democratic nomination against moderate Steve Westly in one of the worst mudslinging campaigns I have ever seen.

This almost assures Ahnuld will win in the fall. And I don’t agree with everything he says and does but he’s not going to raise taxes.

Thank God America still works.