OntheWilderSide

Urge Governor to fix financial crisis by taxing the wealthy as they do the rest of us

The Green Party of California warned Gov. Jerry Brown today – minutes before he gives his “State of the State” address – to not go down the same path as ex-Gov. Schwarzenegger by trying to solve California’s financial crisis on the backs of workers and the poor.  Like in Egypt, Californians can only take so much unemployment, out-of-sight education costs and increasing disparity between the wealthy and the rest of the population, Greens said.

“There is no reason California is in the financial state it’s in, other than the fact that our state government continues to practice prosperity for the richest of the rich, and austerity for the rest of us. The richest 1% captured a huge portion of economic growth in past years; they should get the austerity now,” said Laura Wells, a GPCA spokesperson and 2010 candidate for Governor.

“If California taxed them fairly, we would have enough money to improve education, environment, equality, and economy. And, they would still be rich. They would still have multiple houses, and private yachts, and private schools and golf courses. Their assets would keep growing. They just wouldn’t be filthy rich, while so many are dirt poor today,” Wells said.

We need more justice in the tax system, rather than unfairness through cutting education and basic services. A Green administration would start by closing the gaping tax loophole in Prop 13 through a split-roll and making the income tax more progressive at the very top. Why isn’t this possibility even part of the dialogue?  These are the kind of long-term, structural reforms needed to address our structural deficit. Instead Gov. Brown is advocating extending temporary tax increases for five years, leaving long-term uncertainty and missing a historic opportunity for sustainable reform.

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Filed under: activism, governor, grassroots democracy, Green Party, politics, Press Release Tagged: | Arnold Schwarzenegger, california, green, Green Party of California, Jerry Brown, Laura Wells, state of the state, State of the State address