California to Massachusetts – Taxing Issues Herald Winds of Historical Political Change

Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan 1979 - MSNBC

On Tuesday, Californian’s rejected a ballot measure that would have introduced a round of tax increases in order to balance the State Budget – something that had occurred in 1978, when California voters approved Proposition 13, a measure to cap the states property tax rate. California’s Democrat controlled legislature, and the unforgiving California State Employees Union have consistently burdened the State taxpayers with entitlement programs, and increasing state employee demands that have spun out of control. California has lost a part of its taxpayer base to States with lower taxes, while coping with a high population of illegal immigrants seeking and receiving state services.

The Massachusetts Senate passed a round of tax increases on Tuesday, specifically an increase in the Commonwealth’s Sales Tax. The tax increases were designed to close a budget deficit fueled by excesses of a State Government identical to California’s. Additionally, Massachusetts has suffered an exodus of taxpayers as well,, leaving the burden of supporting entitlement programs and state employees’ salaries to those left behind. After Californians passed Proposition 13, in 1978, Massachusetts residents revolted and passed Proposition 2-1/2 (a cap on property taxes) in 1980.
Massachusetts legislatures may have a short memory, however, the era that produced Proposition 13 and Proposition 2-1/2, introduced sweeping changes on a national scale. Overburdened taxpayers sent Ronald Reagan to the White House (including those in Massachusetts), followed by an overhaul of the Congress and Senate that gave rise to a Republican Renaissance of sorts.

With the Congress and Senate Leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, respectively, losing ground in both national and in Reid’s case, state polls, while Obama and his simpatico legislature pass one pricey program after the next (all potential Federal Tax Increases), the stage has been set for history to repeat itself. One has to wonder, if this had not been by design. In October of 2007, Dr. James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and a host of other Conservative Leaders agreed not to lend support to Republican candidates - the plan – to insure that a Democrat would be elected to the White House (at that time speculation candidates were Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani) – the theory – that the moral, ethical and fiscal decline under a Democrat administration would insure a resurgence for Conservative leaders in 2012. Apparently, Dobson and Company were betting on history and a candidate in the mold of Jimmy Carter taking the reigns of an already solid Progressive-Democrat Congress and Senate. Only time will tell if Dobson and his ilk were correct in playing Russian roulette with the 2008 election, however, historical data does suggest that as the pieces fall into place, and Massachusetts Taxpayers speak in 2010, the conservative, anti-tax, state’s rights, Christian Conservative candidate that has not yet emerged, will be the President in 2012, with the advantage of a House and Senate in concert by 2014.