Sock It To 'Em JB

So Jerry Brown is our new governor.  It's hard to say what he'll do, but clearly he knows we're in economic trouble. (And here's a hint--it's not because we're undertaxed.)

Ah-nold saw the problem and tried a few measures, but had his head handed to him by all the forces making out well under the system who were not going to give up what they felt was rightfully theirs.  So now Jerry's in an even tougher situation.

He'll try to cut spending.  Good luck.  But he'll also ask the public to raise taxes. (He promised he wouldn't raise taxes without asking them first.)  It'll be a hard sell, except he's got it a little psychologically easier in that we've had temporary raises and he may just ask to make them permanent.  That's not as tough as asking for new raises--though he'll probably ask for those, too.

People generally don't vote for higher taxes. What they will vote for is higher taxes for others, so I wouldn't be surprised if Jerry tries to squeeze even more from the well-off, and widen the definition of what well-off means.  (At present, the state income tax is 9.3% once you hit $47,000.)  He'll probably also look for new, imaginative taxes and fees for all sorts of items.

California's been losing people and businesses.  Some think it's due to the big spending, high taxes and heavy regulation.  I wouldn't be surprised if the trend accelerates.  Who knows, maybe in a few years I won't be LAGuy any more.