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<title>Hardened Attitudes on Spending Are the Problem</title>

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<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;text-indent:0in;line-height:normal'><u><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><a
href="http://www.metnews.com/" target="_top">Metropolitan News-Enterprise</span></font></a></span></font></u></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;text-indent:0in;line-height:normal'><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;text-indent:0in;line-height:normal'><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Thursday,
December 11, 2003 </span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;text-indent:0in;line-height:normal'><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;text-indent:0in;line-height:normal'><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Page
7</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;text-indent:0in;line-height:normal'><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy align=left style='margin-right:.5in;text-align:left;text-indent:
0in;line-height:normal'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>IN MY OPINION (Column) </span></font></p>

<p class=Copy align=left style='margin-right:.5in;text-align:left;text-indent:
0in;line-height:normal'><b><font size=4 color=maroon face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:maroon;font-weight:
bold'>Hardened Attitudes on Spending Are the Problem</span></font></b></p>

<p class=Copy align=left style='margin-right:.5in;text-align:left;text-indent:
0in;line-height:normal'><b><font size=4 color="#333399" face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#333399;font-weight:
bold'>&nbsp;</span></font></b></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;text-indent:0in;line-height:normal'><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>By
JON COUPAL<br>
</span></font></p>
<p class="Copy"
 style="margin-right: 0.75in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;"><font
 size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span
 style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><i><span
 style="font-style: italic;"><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (The writer is an attorney and
president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association�</span></i></span></font><i><font
  size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
  font-style:italic'>California</span></font></i><i><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-style:italic'>�s largest taxpayer organization with offices in </span></font></i><i><font
  size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
  font-style:italic'>Los Angeles</span></font></i><i><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-style:italic'> and </span></font></i><i><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
  style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-style:italic'>Sacramento</span></font></i><i><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-style:italic'>.)</span></font></i></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>There
is a huge difference between what most California Legislators say they do and
what they really do. For example, not even the most liberal politician will
openly reveal how much they loath Proposition 13 or how much they enjoy
spending other people�s money.</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Last
week I was asked to speak before the Senate Budget Committee of the California
Legislature. I presented a spending limit proposal that the Howard Jarvis
Taxpayers Association has prepared in conjunction with Assemblyman John
Campbell.</span></font></p>

<p class=Star style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:.75in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><img
border=0 width=20 height=20 src="http://www.metnews.com/articles/star16pt.gif"></span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The
taxpayers� goal is to provide a spending limit with teeth so that Californians
can rest assured that they will never again find themselves in another
disastrous budget situation caused by officials spending more money than we
have. There are several other proposals to limit spending on the table, but our
analysis concludes that most of these plans are showing a lot of gum and very
few canines.</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>One
characteristic of the Jarvis/Campbell proposal is to limit all government
spending, not just general fund spending. The difference is important because
the Legislature has increasingly relied on the imposition of taxes disguised as
�fees� to raise revenue. Any proposal which just limits general fund spending
leaves a loophole you could drive a Hummer through.</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>During
my testimony, I noted the example of a so-called �fee� imposed on many
properties in </span></font><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
  style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>California</span></font><font
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>�the
first instance of the state imposing a property tax. At that point, the liberal
democratic members began attacking Proposition 13.</span></font></p>

<p class=Star style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:.75in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><img
border=0 width=20 height=20 src="http://www.metnews.com/articles/star16pt.gif"></span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Pointed
criticism from Senators John Vasconcellos, Deborah Bowen and Jack Scott made it
abundantly clear that there continues a strong anti-Proposition 13 political
force in the Legislature.</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>One
lawmaker challenged me, saying that I certainly couldn�t argue that Proposition
13 was fair when it allowed homeowners living side-by-side in similar
properties to receive much different property tax bills.</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>At
that moment, I recalled my friend and sage Professor Craig Stubblebine of </span></font><font
  size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Claremont</span></font><font
 size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>
 </span></font><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
  font-family:"Times New Roman"'>McKenna</span></font><font size=4
 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>
 </span></font><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
  font-family:"Times New Roman"'>College</span></font><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>
staring down a big government proponent in a debate on Proposition 13 almost
ten years ago. You don�t care about fairness, the professor said. �Proposition
13 is fair, but what you are concerned about is money, isn�t it?� The advocate
for more taxes could not deny that that was precisely the agenda.</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The
good professor�s point continues to be valid. Those who are the loudest in
condemning Proposition 13 as unfair never suggest that those paying higher
taxes should pay less. They want those paying less to pay more.</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>However,
since I was seeking support for a tough spending limit proposal, I rejected the
temptation to attack the Senator�s motives. I took the more diplomatic approach
and explained why Proposition 13 is fair. I reviewed issues with which they
should be thoroughly familiar but either won�t accept or are just incapable of
understanding.</span></font></p>

<p class=Star style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:.75in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><img
border=0 width=20 height=20 src="http://www.metnews.com/articles/star16pt.gif"></span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>I
reminded them that under Proposition 13 property taxes are based on what a
person can afford to pay at the time of purchase. After all, thirty-five years
ago a nice home could be purchased for twenty-five thousand dollars. That was
also a time when $20,000 was considered a good middle class income. Do
lawmakers really expect that a longtime homeowner can afford to pay the same
taxes as a new homebuyer who is willing to pay $300,000 for a similar home?</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>I
suggested if they were really concerned about fairness they should support
elimination of the property tax and go to a system where property owners are
charged only for the services that their property receives. Needless to say,
this idea was not readily accepted and, at this point, Senator Vasconcellos
stated the only words of wisdom I heard from the other side, �This argument is
going nowhere.�</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Proposition
13 continues to be tremendously popular with average citizens, especially
homeowners, but most in government still see it as an obstacle to taxing and
spending that must be overcome. And it is this devotion to spending that got
the state in its current dire predicament and why, more than ever, we need a
tough limit on spending to rein in our spendthrift Legislature.</span></font></p>

<p class=Copy style='margin-right:.5in;line-height:normal'><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-style:italic'>Copyright 2003, Metropolitan News Company</span></font></i></p>

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