Is a tax revolt brewing in California?
Kurt Brouwer June 8th, 2009
I don’t think it is a stretch to suggest that many, if not most, Californians are unhappy with the current financial mess the state is in. Nor do I think it is an exaggeration to state that the gulf between ordinary Californians and the political elite is wide and it is getting wider. Now, it is probably a stretch to suggest that Californians are ready for another tax revolt, but the mood among many voters is definitely changing.
In his polling, Scott Rasmussen tracks the opinions of ordinary citizens and compares them to the opinions of what he calls the political class. Needless to say, the gulf between the citizens and the elite is far wider than the gulf between regular Democrats, Republicans or Independents.
This is an interesting poll. It certainly is in line with the roughly 66% we saw voting against tax increases in California a few weeks ago [emphasis added]:
77% See Politicians Unwillingness to Cut Government Spending as Bigger Problem… (Rasmussen Reports, May 22, 2009)
For nearly four-out-of-five U.S. voters, the problem is not their unwillingness to pay taxes. It’s their elected representatives’ refusal to cut the size of government.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of voters say the bigger problem in the United States is the unwillingness of politicians to control government spending. Just 14% say the problem is that voters are unwilling to pay enough in taxes, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
These findings parallel results in California just before voters there rejected several ballot initiatives aimed at raising taxes. After that vote on Tuesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested the state might need federal financial help, but voters nationwide oppose any bailouts for California and other economically troubled states.
Just 28% of all voters say, generally speaking, that increases in government spending help the economy, down seven points from February. Fifty-three percent (53%) now believe spending increases hurt the economy, and seven percent (7%) say they have no impact…
If these results are accurate, then our elected officials may want to start paying attention. I think voters are increasingly estranged from politicians and the sense of strong resentment is growing. This poll is evidence for that theory.
But, if voters are so upset, why are they so passive? That’s a good question. Turnout in the recent special election in California was very low for example. However, the results were a foregone conclusion so that may be part of it.
Nonetheless, not all voters are passive and some are actually going out of their way to attend protests against unwise tax policy and poor government accountability. Here is a photo of of a pretty cool guy and 500 friends at a tea party gathering in Nevada County (see below).
Roy Gustafson shows his “Don’t Tread On Me” flag at a Tea Party gathering Saturday at the Nevada County fairgrounds.
Photo courtesy Robert Steuber and The Union.com
The photo above is from a piece about a ‘tea party’ gathering in Nevada County [emphasis added]:
About 500 protesters of runaway government spending turned out in force Saturday for the Nevada County Tea Party, according to organizer Stan Meckler.
“It was an amazing, patriotic event,” Meckler said. “We’re not against taxes — we believe they should be spent appropriately, and that’s the politicians’ job.
“We don’t talk about social issues,” Meckler said, noting that people at the Tea Party came from all walks of life and beliefs. “We want to influence politicians to watch the money more closely and not spend what we don’t have.
“Congressman Tom McClintock showed up and has been a supporter of getting government spending under control,” Meckler said.
…The event at the Nevada County Fairgrounds was an adjunct to other Tea Parties thrown around the country this spring and summer. Almost 100 county residents went to the California Tea Party demonstration at the state Capitol on April 15.
The national Tea Party effort got going before the last election, when California and other people across the country said it was time for government to curb spending and taxes…
Over the past few months, there have been other tea party gatherings in California, with a couple of dozen on April 15 alone. The Tea Party movement is also active all over the country.
Via Instapundit.com, we hear of recent events in Michigan and other states. The event in Kalamazoo, MI reflects similar themes to recent events in California and other states as this piece shows [emphasis added]:
When Tia Graz helped organize a “tea party” in Kalamazoo to protest government spending, bailouts and taxes, she figured it would be a one-time event.
But that rally, one of hundreds held across the country on April 15, has sparked a grass-roots movement leading to the formation of the Kalamazoo Tea Party, which has almost 200 members, a Web site, a mission statement and another rally planned for July 4.
Statewide, the first annual Michigan Tea Party Convention will be held Saturday at Capital Area Baptist Ministries in Holt.
“Our vision is not a third (political) party but to have a group of politically active citizens,” said Gene Clem, a 66-year-old retiree who co-founded the Kalamazoo Tea Party. “Our principles really come down to going back to a democratic republic founded on the U.S. Constitution.”…
I suspect our political leaders view these as quaint and harmless events and perhaps they are. But, I certainly sense that many people feel we no longer have government of, by and for the people, but rather government for the special interests.
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- Business , Economy , Geopolitics , Money , Retirement , income taxes
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