As Samuel Johnson said, “Whatever you have, spend less.” Apparently some Democrats in the California legislature have realized the virtue of this quote.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon shelved the single-payer measure, calling it “woefully incomplete.” The California Senate Appropriations Committee estimated that it would cost only $400 Billion; that’s double California’s current total budget. While progressives (aka the far left) in California still support the measure, apparently Speaker Rendon realized that California can’t print money. Additionally, the gasoline tax increase in California is horribly unpopular; adding a new 15% payroll tax and/or a 2.3% gross receipts tax would not help matters.
While the bill has apparently been tabled for 2016, the California legislative session lasts two years; thus, it is possible that the bill could rise like a phoenix next summer.