Posted on by Californiacontrarian

A Good Idea ?

Almost a year ago there was an op-Ed in the New York Times titled “An Urgent Debate for California Republicans: How to Get Back in the Game.” It pointed out that this will be an enormous uphill battle because of the demographics of what we have now in California, namely that 45% of the voters are registered Democrats while only about 25% are Republican. There is a Democratic governor and both U.S. senators are Democrats. The state legislators are overwhelmingly Democrats.”Oy-vey!” Or perhaps, I should say,”ah caramba!” 

Is there any hope? Not if the Republicans continue to use parameters that are based on common sense. John Cox, the Republican who lost last year’s governor’s race, was campaigning on fiscal sanity and respect for the rule of law – both common-sensical, and therefore both losers! My novel idea . . . start a grassroots campaign to persuade our state Democratic lawmakers to institute a soda tax. At this point I am hearing collective oy-vehs , but hear me out. 

First: I have yet to meet a Democrat that does not think that additional taxes are a good idea. 

Second: This tax would hurt those people who drink a lot of soda (low to medium income) not those who prefer Perrier (higher incomes), and Democrats seem to have a penchant for doing things that hurt those who can least afford it. (e.g. recent gas tax!)

Third: An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal last week was talking about the soda-tax and it’s consequences in Philadelphia. As was pointed out this tax disproportionately punished the poor in Philadelphia. Many have attempted to avoid the tax by buying groceries outside of the city limits which has subsequently eliminated about 300 jobs. The combination of these lost jobs and paying more for Coke, etc.has resulted in approximately 59% of Philadelphians now opposing the tax, and those Democrats who initially backed it are nervous about the upcoming elections. 

Perhaps the California voters will see the light and vote the Democrats out when they are paying more not only to drive to the 7-11, but also more to purchase their Big Gulp! If this works, the next grass roots tax that we need to persuade Democrat legislators to propose is a tax on tortillas. Una buena idea, no?

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