I'm a longtime Koster and, as those of you who have read my sig line know, a candidate for California State Senate District 29. I received a Voter's Guide questionnaire recently from our local public radio station. I put some time into my answers, so I decided to share them here as well. How'd I do? If you like them, please feel welcome to donate a nominal (or not so nominal!) amount, through my ActBlue page. I'm also interested in your constructive criticism (and encouragement!), though I don't think I'll have time for any major rewriting.
(Oh, but if you catch any TYPOS, please do let me know!)
The survey and my responses (limit 1000 characters apiece) are below the gnocchi.
What do you suggest the government do to curb spending? Where would you cut?
It's unfortunate that this Voters' Guide, like many others, asks the wrong question. The RIGHT question is "how we balance the state's budget?" That involves REVENUES as well as cuts.
The state budget surely contains SOME fat -- commercial giveaways, overpaid bureaucrats -- and I'll gladly hear out and pursue cases against them. But the EASILY identified fat has already been cut -- and critical funding to our schools and our needy has already been slashed too deeply. Our problem is a LACK OF REVENUE. Our brilliant state is so cash-starved that we can't take advantage of cost-saving opportunities (such as single-payer health insurance.)
We must PASS PROP 30 (the Millionaire's Tax) and DEFEAT PROP 32 (which would let corporate cash control future elections.) We need an oil severance tax, like other oil-producing states; let's remove corporate-leased property from Prop 13 (a "split roll"); and let's legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana. THEN let's focus on spending cuts.
How do you plan to keep jobs in your district?
What I DON'T plan to do is compete to keep jobs in my district by handing out tax breaks to industries in exchange for table scraps. I'll help my district by helping the state (and thus the national) economy OVERALL -- and then we'll just outcompete everyone. (My district is educated and diverse; we'll do just fine!)
We're a brilliant, blessed state. We're the nation's MAIN ACCESS to and from Asia and Latin America; the site of so many great universities, of Hollywood and Silicon Valley and fantastic tourist sites. It took REAL EFFORT to mess up those advantages!
Our economic problems are self-inflicted wounds caused by laws against raising taxes and, until recently, budget supermajority requirements. If we just END REPUBLICAN OBSTRUCTION, we will be fine: we need a majority budget with majority votes on revenues. We've been 34 YEARS without it. THAT experiment failed.
Have great schools (pre-K to post-grad) and quality of life and the rest will take care of itself!
How can California make it out of its fiscal problems?
(1) Pass Prop 30 (the "Millionaire's Tax"); defer Prop 38 to 2014.
(2) Defeat Prop 32, which would let corporate money dominate our state's politics and reverse our progress.
(3) Join other oil-producing states in imposing an excise tax on oil -- that's how Texas funds its schools!
(4) Impose "split-roll reform" on large commercial rental/lease property. Prop 13 was intended to protect aging homeowners. Instead, it PRIMARILY protects corporations who lease space, which was NEVER the intent of voters!
(5) I favor RADICAL TRANSPARENCY. I'll live-stream my and my staff's meetings with lobbyists via the internet. If they have something to say to me, they can say it to my constituents too!
(6) Regulate marijuana like wine: tax California's main agricultural crop; keep decent kids out of jail. This strikes some as drastic -- but SLASHING SCHOOL AND HEALTH FUNDING IS MORE DRASTIC! As adults, let's stop giggling about pot (which I DON'T use) and do what makes fiscal sense.
(If you like these, credit my many years of reading and writing and arguing on Daily Kos!)