Happy Birthday, USA!

By Jim Buckley

Happy Birthday, USA!

Today, we celebrate the day in 1776 that The Declaration of Independence was signed and made public. This was a seditious instrument, shaped and written by Thomas Jefferson (with the advice and consent of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, Founding Fathers all). What these men did (some 56 brave men with much to lose eventually signed the document) when they put their names on it 250 years ago, was to have signed their own death warrant if their act of rebellion had not led to a successful conclusion against the mighty empire of Great Britain.

Lucky for them (and us) their effort succeeded.

Today, we at Santa Barbara Current celebrate the launch of the first edition of California Current, which we plan to publish once a week, most likely on Saturday.

Why are we doing this, you ask?

The reason is simple: Santa Barbara Current is an outlier, a righteous raft afloat in a sea of flotsam controlled by clueless UCSB grads, gluttonous government unions, and selfish scions of various local political dynasties. And, unfortunately, the City of Santa Barbara is a well-supplied outpost for radical governance even more deep-seated than its more populated cousins in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles.

We have hope that our efforts to help overturn the misguided policies of the cabal that has a stranglehold on politics in this city will ultimately be successful. But, until the state of California gets out from under the power and influence of the veto-proof super majority of Democrats in the state legislature, our efforts in tiny Santa Barbara will be for naught.

So, we’re launching California Current to give the sane, reasonable, and responsible citizens of California additional tools with which to understand and influence the elections and policies shaping (or, we should say, mis-shaping) this state. Our once-a-week publication will be devoted to all things California; we may even feature dispatches from our bigger cousins in L.A. and San Francisco.

We hope too that after reading our latest offering you’ll offer up your own opinions and comments in agreement or disagreement; a conflict of ideas always makes for thought-provoking discussion and often creates closer bonds between readers and writers.

The California Legislature

As the ballot for the upcoming November 3rd mid-term election takes shape, it has become obvious that we are in the battle of our lives. The group of ever-more radical Democrat office holders in the state legislature regularly pass more than a thousand bills each year. Almost every one of those bills are signed by the (Democrat) governor and nearly all include additional spending.

As of early July, here is what “voters” (and we use that word suspiciously, as millions of easily altered ballots are mailed to addresses indiscriminately throughout the state) will be faced with:

• A proposition by the State Legislature to provide public funds to qualifying candidates who agree to spending limits and other rules. In other words, free money for politicians, paid for by taxpayers.

• An Initiative to increase the cap on California’s so-called “rainy-day fund” from 10% of the budget to 20%. Oh, and by virtue of raising that cap, those monies become exempt from the Gann spending limit. In other words, there is likely to be way more “rainy days” in coming years. They’ll spend the money.

• Lots of new bond initiatives that will increase the budget deficit substantially. An $11.25 billion bond, for instance, targeted to “multi-family housing and youth housing programs.” Oh, and some of that money is supposed to go to veterans too.

The Voter ID and Citizenship Verification initiative would require government-issued photo ID at polls or for mail-in ballots, and would provide free voter ID cards. It would also mandate annual citizenship verification reporting by election officials. We are skeptical that the current government would be assiduous in verifying anyone’s “citizenship,” and we don’t understand how this could work to deter voter fraud, since anyone here legally or otherwise can easily apply for and receive a driver’s license, good for a photo ID. But, I guess it’s a start towards more honest elections if it passes.

Another initiative will set timelines and limits for environmental reviews of certain “essential” projects (housing, transportation, water, energy, health/safety infrastructure) to speed approvals and limit litigation. It sounds good, but is not likely to produce any real results until the makeup of the legislature and the various city and county planning departments change.

Plenty of New Taxes On The Way

The “One-Time Wealth Tax on Billionaires” imposes a tax (up to 5%) on certain assets over $1 billion for individuals and trusts. The money is slated to be directed to “healthcare, education, and food assistance,” but if you believe that, well, just don’t believe that. The money will go to pay ever higher salaries and bigger benefits for government workers. We do believe there are more non-billionaires in the state than there are billionaires, so this could pass. Governor Newsom says he won’t sign it, but don’t count on that.

And, if you think this wealth tax will stop at “billionaires,” you’d be wrong.

Another initiative will make permanent the additional income taxes on high earners that was passed in 2012 and slated to (ha, ha) expire in 2031). The money is earmarked “to fund K-12 schools, community colleges, and related programs.” Again, it will do no such thing. The money will fund ever higher salaries and bigger benefits for government employees.

The Second Mortgage / Homebuyer Loan Program will authorize up to $25 billion in bonds for a “second-mortgage assistance program for middle-income first-time buyers of new/qualified homes.” Most likely, many of those “middle-income” buyers will be government employees or friends and/or relatives of government employees.

Another $8.4 billion is being asked to pay for a UC-affiliated research institute and grants focused on immune-system treatments for diseases like cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s, with pricing requirements for resulting drugs. Whoop de doo.

Local Measures

Santa Barbara and other counties, cities, and districts will also have their own local propositions/bonds (e.g., school funding, zoning, taxes). All of which means more and higher taxes for you.

Official Resources

If you want to stay updated and to read the full texts, summaries, fiscal analyses, and arguments of everything on your ballot, go on to the California Secretary of State’s Qualified Ballot Measures page (sos.ca.gov); the upcoming Official Voter Information Guide. Ballotpedia also has detailed pages.

For the most current list on your ballot, visit sos.ca.gov/elections or you can try your luck at Joe Holland’s Registry office and hope to find someone working there. It’s not likely, but, hey, a little optimism is in order. If you want to see how liberals and Democrats feel about the issues, voter guides from the League of Women Voters or CalMatters will be available.

See you next week!

•••

…these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States… And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. – Thomas Jefferson

…But whatever is our fate, be assured this Declaration will stand; it may cost blood, but it will stand; it may cost treasure, but it will stand, and it will richly compensate for both. – John Adams