I want to be very clear here. I am NOT anti-tax. I appreciate living in the civilized world. I like roads and bridges. I am a big fan of modernity.
I also understand that as citizens, when we share those roads and bridges, we who use them, need to pay for upkeep. I have absolutely no problem when we all have to pitch-in to pay for those things. Equally. And when we do pitch-in and pay the money, the money should be used for these things.
That is where things go sideways in California.
Consistently, YOU carry a much larger tax burden, on virtually EVERY level, than anyone else in the US. (OK, sometimes Hawaii beats us, but not often.)
For so many, and I am firmly in that camp, living here has been worth the price of admission. We have brushed those exorbitant taxes, fees and associated costs aside, breezily calling them, collectively, "The sunshine tax." We have even laughed about it.
But now, our "sunshine" is coming home to roost. California is run by Democrats, and those Dems have freely helped themselves to the taxes you have paid to drive on roads that would be considered fabulous...in Burkina Faso.
Your gas taxes have been pillaged. and now you are about to be picked up by your ankles and shaken for every dime you have. Left. Every dime you have left.
Not only is your gas tax going up by 12 cents a freaking gallon, you get to pay more when you register that car, too! Yay!
If you have had the temerity to buy an expensive or even semi-expensive vehicle, for that matter, (and how dare you, sir!) you will pay ANOTHER 175 a year to register it.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Unless they are built by Tesla. Then you will only pay 100 dollars extra to use the same road as the guy paying the extra gas tax AND the 175 dollar extra fee.
I hope you have had a raise recently, because If you have a commute of any length, you are going to pay dearly for daring to live outside of an urban center. If you buy a car that is anything other than a Schwinn or an electric golf cart, you are going to take a hit.
The legislature has the mindset of most low-lives and thieves. They figure, if you have the money for that nice Lexus or Mercedes or BMW, then you have too much money. So if they bang into it in a parking lot, or just steal it, well, you had it coming.
You should just get another one. Or even better, you shouldn't have bought something so flashy in the first place. You MUST be rich...and if you are rich, then the thieves want their fair share. On a graduated scale, of course. They'll ding the Yugo...and steal your c300.
Those political crooks have made such a significant money grab this time, that you are going to feel it. Deeply. And you still aren't going to get drive-able roads because this is a transportation bill. It's not simply a road-repair bill.
Many of those Rupees, as they have before, will get siphoned-off for everyone's favorite little pet projects...public transportation...bike lanes...climate change...diapers. Pick your favorite.
And quite a bit will be wasted by one of the most bloated agencies in existence, CalTrans.
That's a big, fat tempting hoard...and our politicians are greedily eyeballing it like Daffy Duck in Ali Baba Bunny.
My point, and I do have one, is this: One-party rule is NEVER good. I don't care which party, (in our case, that happens to be Democrats.). When you have unlimited power, you tend not to limit yourself.
So that tickle near your backside? That's not your Tinder date trying to get into your pants. No, that's your government pulling your wallet out of them.