As a tax professional I get to observe first-hand what taxpayers think of the current tax climate. I think Howard Beale put it well:
Somewhere between 8,000 and 15,000 protested in nearby Fullerton yesterday. These weren’t the usual left-wing protesters that you might see mobilized in Washington. These were the typical families that populate Orange County. My Congressman (John Campbell, R-Irvine), State Assemblyman (Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine), and State Senator (Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach) understand the anger. I’m pretty sure my two Democratic US Senators (Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer) have no comprehension of the anger that’s just below the surface. It’s certain that the Democratic leadership in Washington thinks these protests are irrelevant.
They’re not. This movement has legs. I was in high school when Proposition 13 was proposed and passed. I remember the rallies then. We’re seeing the beginning of a groundswell.
Sure, it could fade away. But when California has a $6 billion deficit (minimum—I think it could easily exceed $10 billion) come June, do you think our legislators will vote to cut the budget or increase taxes? While past performances don’t necessarily indicate future results, they’re usually your best bets. It’s certain that the Democratic legislature and the Governator will support more tax increases.
It’s also interesting which newspapers think the protest was significant. It was the lead story in the Orange County Register. Sure, it happened in the O.C. so the Register covered it. But it was also a big story for the Pasadena Star-News. Yet you wouldn’t find a word of it in the Los Angeles Times. Cutting taxes clashes with the Times’ liberal viewpoint.
I don’t know what will happen with this movement. It could wilt on the vine. Indeed, should the state legislature start doing what’s inevitable (massive cuts in state spending are just that), this movement might end in California. My suspicion is that Proposition 1A will fail in May, and that many politicians will find that its the citizens who control government and not vice versa. It may take a couple of years, but I think some major changes are going to happen.