I’m guessing that Gov. Schwarzenegger thinks something very different when he sees this slogan these days: The thing that won’t die, in the nightmare that won’t end. It’s not the Terminator but rather, the budget. The state of California is facing a $21.3 billion shortfall. Billion. And the measures that Schwarzenegger hoped would be a…
Yesterday, the Lowe’s sale paper arrived at our house. The pictures of healthy plants on the front page convinced me to rush out and buy gardening stuff (granted, it doesn’t usually take much convincing). But instead of heading for the big box of Lowe’s, we went to Greensgrow Nursery, which I joke is my urban…
Welcome to my fifth in a series on state taxes! For information about what I’m trying to do, read my introductory bit. Next on the agenda, the state that we’ve all heard a lot about this year when it comes to taxes: California! CALIFORNIA Population: 36,756,666 (1st) Capital: Sacramento Largest City: Los Angeles Gross Domestic…
A number of Republican governors have indicated that they will turn down federal money offered to states as part of the stimulus package. The Republican governors of Alaska, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas have signaled that they will pass on the money because it could lead to a tax increase in the future….
Melissa Etheridge is angry. In an article posted on The Daily Beast, Etheridge railed against the passing of Proposition 8 in California. Proposition 8 is, as you may know, a law which defines marriage in California as between a man and a woman. The law supersedes gay marriages in parts of the state, effectively making…
After a contentious fight, as blogged previously, supporters of Prop 8 declared victory in California on yesterday. Proposition 8 defines marriage as between a man and a woman, effectively banning gay marriage in California. Expect to see this one in court soon – likely on benefits and economic grounds. A federal challenge to the DOMA…
When all else fails, hit ’em in the pocketbook… This week, supporters of Proposition 8, which would ban gay marriage in California, released an ad, pictured above. The ad claims that under current law, gay marriage would be promoted in public schools and warned that churches which opposed same-sex unions would lose their tax exempt…
Schwarzenegger is getting tough. Terminator tough. With a looming financial crisis (not the first that Schwarzenegger has faced as governor of California), Schwarzenegger is proposing a temporary penny sales tax increase to help balance the budget. As you can imagine, not everyone is happy about the proposal; Schwarzenegger is meeting some serious resistance from his…
Assemblyman Charles Calderon of California wants the state to consider imposing a tax on new media downloaded from the internet. He is specifically targeting goods like iTunes which are currently exempt from tax. He claims that the sales tax should apply equally to online and in store purchases. I think he might have a point….