Opinion: Prop 13 protects us from tax-greedy gov'ts; Prop 5 wants to strip all that away
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Local contractor T. J. Nelsen expresses his concern that Proposition 5—lowering CA's “infrastructure” tax approval requirement to 55% from 66.6%—removes Bay Area citizens' needed protection measure against corrupt, money-hungry gov'ts. From a newsletter published by the Marin County GOP.
Back in 1978, after Proposition 13 qualified for the ballot and and was being hotly debated, I was involved in a matter that required frequent trips to the Marin County Civic Center. It was variously necessary to see someone in the DPW, the building inspector’s office, or the County Counsel’s or Administrator’s offices, or the Supervisor’s chambers.
My practice, absent an appointment, was to go first to the cafeteria, particularly in the morning, where I figured I’d have the best chance of finding the person I was looking for. As the vote on Prop. 13 neared, that no longer worked. The usual cafeteria crowd was no longer present. I theorized that everyone was hunkered down at their desk pretending to work (my words at the time.) It also became increasingly difficult to get someone on the phone —sometimes no answer at all. Perhaps we were being given a forecast of the dire results if Prop. 13 passed.
We were being constantly warned that the institutions we relied on would suffer or possibly even be shut down, such as schools, libraries, fire stations, police departments, etc., as well as there might not be enough employees in the Civic Center to answer all the phones —that people would lose their jobs. …
Well, 13 passed and, except for the Big Brother types, it seemed to me that almost everyone else had a smile on their face.
As I also recall, after 13 passed there was a jump in sales tax revenue because people felt free to spend what they had been holding back to cover the usual increase in property taxes. Property sales also increased because home buyers and investors could now accurately assess fixed costs and thus make informed decisions. And, best of all, nobody else was forced out of their home by unpredictable and dramatically higher property taxes —and, nobody lost their job because of Prop. 13.
Of course, it was rough on politicians who wouldn’t get the money they’d hoped for to deliver on promises made to special interests or to buy more votes, but the rest of us were happy. Politicians in Sacramento have been trying to “fix” that for the last 40 plus years.
So, what’s our government’s latest attack on Prop. 13?
It is proposition 5, a state wide ballot measure, that kills the two thirds vote requirement for tax measures by reducing the requirements to 55%. It will effectively destroy the protections of Prop. 13 by making it much easier to pass new taxes. It’s that simple.
If Proposition 5 passes it will negatively effect home owners, renters, businesses, and consumers of goods and services. In other words, everyone. …
I think Prop. 13 has been the only successful tax revolt in modern times against the age old ability of governments to take citizens’ money and property, and to gain control of their lives, through the power to tax. These days, we abet that by continually letting or asking government to do things for us just because something may sound good, often without thinking those things through, or recognizing the ongoing long term costs, or the consequence of the state having its hand deeper in our pockets.
I’m told it was Plato who said, “The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” It might be noted that an alert “middle class” has historically been the primary challenge to any government. A large and prosperous middle class has the ability, the means, and the will to demand a piece of the pie —a natural check and balance to government power. In our country it has sometimes been referred to as the silent majority. It wasn’t silent in 1978.
The unprecedented, policy driven, net egress of citizens and businesses from California suggests that Sacramento prefers more of a two class society —the satisfied, very well off who aren’t bothered by high taxes,— and those dependent on government, whose votes are the most predictable.
The lazy politician’s first choice to fill the coffers is taxing property owners who have a lot to lose if they don’t pay, instead of, you know, creating a drug free, crime free, environment where businesses can thrive and citizens feel comfortable going out of an evening to shop, dine, see a show or a game, and not worry about their homes while they are away or their cars when they park. A thriving business environment means more jobs and more tax revenues without raising taxes.
Since 1978, Proposition 13 has provided stable predictability in a very fundamental and sensitive area of our lives by providing protection against the government’s seemingly insatiable appetite for more money and more power. The one-party system we keep voting for certainly hasn’t helped as we mistakenly believe that those guys work for us. On the bright side we are blessed with our marvelous Constitution so things can always get better -provided we pay attention.
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