Worst sales tax!? Are you f'n kidding me? Yours is like 6.x%, our is nearly 10%! Granted, we don't have income tax.. so that need to be taken into effect.
But yeah - the more liberal, the more "tax the rich and give away free stuff," the worse off that place will be in the long run.
Here's a very relevant quote:
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.
Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage" -Author(s) unclear
California has one of the highest STATE INCOME TAX in the union, if not the highest at 9.55% for income over $47xx (considering the fact that I clear 5 grand per month and still having problem paying all the bills - As a single guy, a family making less than $47xx is in poverty), and Washington is a state income tax free zone. The sales tax in California is OVER 10% in some some area. Most area are at 9.25%.
California also has the second highest tobacco tax in the union, at 47% (the highest tobacco tax state is so small that no one cares). A $10 dollar cigar in Taxes will cost you $15 in California.
California also has very high energy tax through gasoline.
Within the last four years, the high business tax drove away massive small business, many of them relocated to AZ, OR, and NV; more middle class income families left the state, with more illegal immigrants moving in. The states currently a welfare state. "Let's promise to take care of those lazy idiots so they can continue to vote for us."
Yep, California is the breeding ground of ultra liberalism that is a perfect example of what the Democrats want for this nation, even though the whole state is collapsing, but somehow these politicians are blind folded. Keep up the good work! Our congress may consider sell California back to Mexico to pay our children debts.
Great nations rise and fall, but can also rise up again. It is up to the people to elect great leaders, not some one with empty promises.
An amazing time we lived in!!!
Just to put this in perspective - people who can afford to live in this state classified under "middle class" family will have to pay:
40% Federal income tax
9.55% State Income tax
9.25-10.25% in sales tax
47% tobacco tax (if you use tobacco) and a 10% Federal S-CHIP tobacco tax.
$.20 per gallon alcohol tax (if you drink)
$Gasolin tax
GOD DAMN!!!
), BUT it will do so on the condition that muni bond holders -mostly wealthy Cali residents- take a big haircut on their debt. This solution magically reduces the current debt burden and it does so *entirely* at the expense of the wealthy. It's a homerun if you want wealth redistribution.
