From the LA Times and the “let’s double down on stupid” department
A cornerstone of California’s battle against climate change was upheld on Thursday by a state appeals court that ruled the cap-and-trade program does not constitute an unconstitutional tax, as some business groups had claimed.
The 2-1 decision from the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento does not eliminate all the legal and political questions that have dogged the program, which requires companies to buy permits to release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
But environmental advocates dismayed by President Trump’s decision to roll back federal regulations in Washington were buoyed by Thursday’s victory, which preserves the only program of its kind in the country.
…
The court case began four years ago and has been a cloud over the state’s efforts to fight global warming. California has pointed to its cap-and-trade program as an international example of how financial incentives can be used to reduce emissions. Nine states on the East Coast have a similar system, but it applies only to power plants, while California’s program affects nearly its entire economy.
More http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-california-cap-trade-decision-20170406-story.html
Meanwhile: The California Senate just passed a new gasoline tax, and the California Assembly is expected to pass it today, adding 12 cents per gallon of gasoline to pay for road repairs, because the other fuel tax for road repairs got co-opted for other uses by incompetent Democrats. The excise tax on diesel fuel would jump 20 cents per gallon and the sale tax on diesel would go up four percentage points. Electric cars would pay a $100 annual fee.
Watch businesses fly out of California now…even faster than before.
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I recently read somewhere that California pays more per mile of road repair than just about every other state and still has some of the poorest quality roads in the country. Can’t remember where I read that or I would post the link. I suppose they wanted to make sure they maintained their position as number 1 on that list.
It almost seems like a source of pride for left leaning states to have the highest cost for “insert anything here” and still have standards of living that bearly equal the rest of the country.
https://www.google.at/search?q=California+pays+more+per+mile+of+road+repair+than+just+about+every+other+state+and&oq=California+pays+more+per+mile+of+road+repair+than+just+about+every+other+state+and&aqs=chrome.
Yes, it’s quite a difference when you cross over into Nevada and their taxes are among the lowest in the nation.
It’s easy to keep your taxes low when most taxes are being paid by people who don’t live there.
Otherwise known as tourists.
Florida has a similar advantage.
California has its share of tourists as well. The problems here are an overblown bureaucracy, an idiot for a governor, a far left state assembly that has no sense of fiscal responsibility and too much illegal immigration which over-taxes the entitlement system which Moonbeam wants to increase further by turning California into a ‘sanctuary’ state.
It’s not the total number of tourists that matters, it’s the ratio of tourist to native.
MarkW on April 7, 2017 at 12:43 pm
It’s not the total number of tourists that matters, it’s the ratio of tourist to native.
MarkW, what d’you think Californian La-La-Land is living on.
___________________________________
natives?
You don’t know the half of it. A stretch of highway 99 in the in the central valley has taken about 7 years to complete(about 50 miles long). Within a year they were repairing large sections of asphalt and now the road is worse than it was before they repaired it. The inefficient use of money and supervision will only be exaggerated by increasing the fuel taxes!
7 years? Amateurs!
The M3 in the UK has been being repaired since I left in 2001, and I don’t know how many years before.
Our local radio host did a segment on the cost difference. Cali pays almost 4X as much per mile than the national average. $4.09 vs roughly $1.00!!! If you’ve ever seen Caltrans at work you would understand. Just recently something like 3500 Caltrans employee’s were busted for not even showing up to work yet collecting pay. Seems golfing for real big distraction from doing their jobs. They’re the epitome of a bureaucracy existing to exist. Downsizing is NEVER an option only adding more staff. Hence these folks at times have literally nothing to do. Back when the Northridge earthquake took out the I-5 and some other freeway infrastructure Caltrans was bypassed and the work went to private contractors who got the freeways opened and running ahead of schedule and under budget!!! The work took weeks instead of years.
A great example of the ineptitude of Cali is the Eastern Bay bridge that took 12yrs to build and will cost in the end $12 BILLION for a 2.2miles!!! Try and wrap your head around those numbers.
That’s one million $ PER FOOT!!!!
I think they might have finally done it. The legislature may finally motivate a large portion of the low to moderate income people in the state to leave. Californians already pay a $0.75 per gallon premium on fuel and between new fuel taxes and cap and trade “fees” that premium is set to rise to at least $1.00 per gallon. Since the vehicles people drive regularly probably consume 50 gallons of fuel per month and most households have more than 1 vehicle, you are looking at >$100 per month premium just for driving in the state. Couple that will rents that already consume 30-50% of people’s income already (and its only getting worse) I suspect this may be the straw that breaks the back of the working class.
This comment is dead on right. Beautiful state ruined by tax and spend with disregard politicians.
Cali’s take dwarfs whatever amount the oil companies make on a gallon of gas. The hypocrisy is deep here in Cali. They “hate” fossil fuels but they love the cash.
Let’s treat the (legal) evacuees with respect and dignity, unlike the The Grapes of Wrath migrants.
“I think they might have finally done it. The legislature may finally motivate a large portion of the low to moderate income people in the state to leave.”
Gasoline taxes harm the poorest segments of society most. You can’t raise gasoline taxes and legitimately claim you care about poor people.
The decision is only good until 2020 when they have to vote on it and it would require…. by state law…. a 2/3 majority vote to pass. Californians historically don’t pass tax increases. They are big talkers until its’ their money on the line.
So what do these idiots think they are going to get for this money well spent? How naive and stoopid are these leftists?
Someday, the planet will thank California.
Oh wait, it won’t.
California’s green insanity, high energy prices, high taxes and far left politics is why I’m moving my business to Reno. Besides, I can get twice the house at half the price of my 60 yr old, tract house in the Bay area.
Gasoline is one thing. Energy tax, ala cap and trade, takes CA businesses completely out of the competitive markets, even in CA. Thus, I predict an “import carbon usage tax” for all goods sold in CA by non-CA businesses.
One wonders if the Feds will step in and quash this based using the Interstate Commerce Clause. Otherwise, CA will have set itself up as a defacto independent nation.
Folks who deal in tangible goods are going to quickly discover that it’s cheaper to set up a distribution center in Nevada, for example, and fill all orders by mail, even with the shipping charges. Want a 4×4 junction box ($1.50 or so) for that home repair? “We can have that to you next Thursday, or overnight it for $10.”
Retailers could set up systems like Wal-Mart’s, where they have very little stock in the store, but a constant stream of delivery trucks keeping them from running out.
“Just in time” = a day late and a dollar short.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people with no skin in the game, believe themselves to be experts in how other people should be running their businesses.
“…it’s a liability on their balance sheet.”
Say it again: “…it’s a liability on their balance sheet.”
Now say they don’t have any skin in the game.
Now go look in the mirror and say both phrases again, one right after the other. That look in the mirror is either one of confused ignorance, or defiant liar.
I believe Amazon has already done that. Much of my Amazon stuff comes from Nevada.
“California doubles down on stupid”
You repeated yourself.
When we read the word “California”, we already know its going to be about something “stupid”.
Hopefully they will break away from the other 49 states and start their own country.
Then the rest of us can watch them fail without having to bail them out.
They want electric cars.
Preferably self-driving electric cars, for the drugged up population.
Preferably voice operated self-drinving electric cars that dispense drugs.
The new $100 a year charge for electrics, while justified, is just a fraction of what it needs to be.
Californians elected these jackasses, they can eat it. Don’t forget to re-elect moonbeam at the earliest opportunity. If you want to talk about doubling down on stupid look no further than the California electorate.
+1
agreed
As one of that electorate, I would much prefer a benevolent dictatorship to this insane democracy.
From what I’ve recently read, Gov. Moonbeam is their last tenuous connection with reality. The next guy, who looks like to be elected, is one of them; should be interesting.
Yes. Groomed and anointed. An elite of the highest class and Socialist of the highest order. It would take a mass epiphany for California to turn Conservative. The sad truth is there is so much money generated in California no one could do any wrong because the level of awareness stops stops at their cell phones, in the overpriced homes, and overpaid jobs. Bought and sold, everyone. They respond very well to virtue signaling because they have non morals of their own. The Left will never allow the state to secede or split because it would ruin their electoral college vote.
Well, reading all this, I can only envision a new national park called The California State Dessert — wide expanses of unoccupied buildings, force by mass migrations — oh wait, this describes some small California “cities” already … on weekends. Only this would now expand to all days of the week for all cities, large and small.
“Before” and “after” pictures would be subtitled, “This is California” – “This is California on taxes — Any questions?”
A government addicted to taxes is a taxaddict. CA, the first step is ADMITTING that you have a problem.
… and climate change surely would not be to blame for THIS.
… or would it ? (^_^)
I thought the California State Dessert was chocolate ice cream?
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_California_state_dessert?#slide=2
Apparently the liberal democrats in California just love paying out more in taxes. But paying out more in taxes will not change global climate. Modeling studies show that the climate change we are experiending is caused by the sun and the oceans over which mankind has no control. There is no real evidence that CO2 has any effect on climate. There is plenty of scientific rational to support the idea that the climate sensivity of CO2 is really zero. There are many good reasons to be conserving on the use of fossil fuels but climate change is not one of them. The way things are going here in California, in the near future we will have to buy state permits to exhale.
What you will find is that most of the liberal Democrats in California, as well as everywhere else in the country have no interest in paying more taxes. They always vote to have other people’s taxes increased.
First they went for a tax on cow farts and now this.
California’s solution to their pending bankruptcy is delay the day by charging
the great planet saver carbon tax but it won’t work because politicians are far more proficient at spending other peoples money they don’t actually have . Imagine if interest rates went to 6 %. California would be fully insolvent in a shorter time that Mini – Al changes his pool water .
California can keep the music playing by flooding the economy with low wage illegals
and charge a carbon tax which pulls some revenue from the underground economy .
The rich will keep driving their Rolls and the poor / middle class get screwed as usual .
“Watch businesses fly out of California now…even faster than before”
Well that’s one way to reduce California’s carbon emissions. Feature or bug?
California is becoming a rug. And not even a 60’s shag rug at that. It’s flat, it’s blasé, totally predictable, every thing is beige, nothing new, stuckness in conformity. They think they are in a bubble of enlightenment – and the are. But the “enlightenment” is that of Psycho Synchronicity. That “are” superior because they “know” they are. That are “Californians” after all…. THEY are one.
A Picture Paints a Thousand Words; Two Pictures that Say it All
https://co2islife.wordpress.com/2017/04/08/a-picture-paints-a-thousand-words-two-pictures-that-say-it-all/
Hey California!!!, Wind and Solar Don’t Work in a Flood
https://co2islife.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/hey-california-wind-and-solar-dont-work-in-a-flood/
Nobody now lives in California that doesn’t have to!
California’s plan can’t work unless the rest of the nation (and world) do it too. And then it won’t work after that.. And it isn’t evenneeded to work. But other than that, it makes irrationality feel good.
The real problem facing Cali is the gargantuan unfunded pension liability that CALPERS and STRS have created. Last year CALPERS readjusted the yearly asset growth rate to 7.0%, down from the 7.5% rate that they had been using. This is still far too high considering that the actual CALPERS asset growth rate last fiscal year was a measly 0.6%.
If one adjusts the expected growth rate to a more realistic 3.0%, the CALPERS and STRS unfunded liability is between $750 BILLION and $1 TRILLION. This gargantuan shortfall is being hidden by the totaly unrealistic 7.0% growth rate assumption.
Meanwhile in Sacramento, Guv Moonbeam McCowfart is overseeing the payment of ultra-cushy benefits to illegal immigrants, blowing 10’s of billions on building a high speed rail system from nowhere to nowhere on the east side of the Central Valley, borrowing many 10’s of billions more for reservoirs that were not built to store this season’s rainfall as California stiffs agriculture to pour trillions of gallons of fresh water into the Pacific.
In fact, neither this season’s rainfall nor the drought are historic. There were both much larger and more devastating droughts as well as much more intense periods of rain in the 1800s. These are well documented in newspapers from that period. These same stories also recorded that native American tribes knew of California’s drought/flood cycle from their oral history. The only thing that is unprecedented in California is the immense stupidity of the far left politicians who rule the state.
No, that is wrong in many ways. Using a snapshot number like one year return against the 20 or 30 year growth assumption for returns is not appropriate. Yes, the systems made some stupid investments that were probably politically directed and there was some corruption along the way on the Boards and executive director. But no 3.0% is not reasonable for a long term assumption for returns. They just need to stop the politically correct investment strategies, corruption, and other bad choices.
They need to stop giving out unrealistic pensions. The pension spiking. Too early of retirements. Healthcare for life. It’s insane what they allow public sector unions to get away with. If they averaged 10% they couldn’t fund their promises. Pension payments from cities to Calpers etc… are growing exponentially. Within 5-10yrs it’ll be a choice (court ordered no doubt) between keeping the lights on fire and public safety or making pension payments. The cities of Vallejo and Stockton are just the tip of the iceberg.
Just don’t ruin California then leave and go to another state and implement the same taxes expecting a different outcome if you ruin your state,stay in your state and reap what you sow dont run away
Sobaken commented: “…. And then you rich spoiled first-worlders dare to complain about high energy prices and taxes…..”
Don’t worry. They are trying to turn us into a Socialist state so we can share your misery.
How about a wall around California ? Try to keep those remaining businesses in and the ultra left wing flakes from polluting other States . The carbon tax has nothing to do with saving the planet it is to cover gross government incompetence and tap into a new vein of tax revenue , It won’t work though . Compound interest , constant new debt and now Federal dollars being withheld should just about do it .
They elected Moonbeam and you get what you pay for .
An increasing number of Californians with a lower percentage having legitimate driver’s licenses, trying to get around with less gas. I can see where this is going: