To many Bear Flag Republic conservatives, this last election has been like Prohibition – sobering… and fearfully uncertain of just what will have to be rendered unto Caesar.
Taxpayers may have suffered their greatest setback ever in this once great state of the California Republic, but hope still lingers. And according to Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA), hope is NOT dead in California.
Coupal responded to political commentator Tony Quinn’s latest “Fox & Hounds” article (Nov. 9) which declared the Republican Party in California is dead, and that these “anti-tax zealots have been a tail wagging the old flea bitten Republican dog.”
“Well, now there is no dog; only fleas,” Quinn wrote.
Coupal took exception to Quinn’s post-election analysis, posting the following:
Wow. Tony, have another gulp of KoolAid. The taxpayer movement is needed now more than ever and our organization continues to grow. Are you suggesting that it is now politically unncessary to oppose California having the highest income tax in America AND the highest state sales tax? Should we now say, sure, take your next shot at Prop 13?
As for the local bonds and taxes, that’s not unusual. They frequently pass at high rates because voters trust their locals more than they trust the state. All 13 & 218 said was go out and get permission. In that regard, the system is working. (With the possible exception of how some of these messages are put on local ballots in the middle of the night to ensure that no opposition arguments are submitted).
Finally, let’s see what happens and whether voters have buyers’ remorse when the bills come due. Two things we’ll be watching are the unemployment rate in California relative to other states and net domestic outmigration. (Rick Perry is very happy with Prop 30′s passage).
As Mark Twain said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” And don’t forget, Tony, the Soviet Empire crumbled due in no small part to Howard’s buddy, Ronald Reagan. If the Berlin Wall can come crashing down, there is always hope for California.
Read Tony Quinn’s article at Fox & Hounds Daily.
