A Litte of This... a Little of That

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) has recently released its’ 'California Poll' and there are a few surprises.

With a whopping 47%, the most important issues for Golden Staters are jobs and the economy. The next closest? Education and schools at a paltry nine per cent. Then comes the state budget/deficit/ taxes (also 9%); immigration and illegal aliens (5%); and, crime/drugs/gangs (4%).

Within these mega trends, there are some shockers. Immigration and illegal aliens only garnered five percent as an important state issue YET given a choice of defining immigrants (illegal or otherwise) as a benefit or burden to the state; more than 60% said they are a benefit… 33% tabbed immigrants as a burden. On top of that, the pollsters basically asked what to do with illegal immigrants. Only 18% of respondents said “kick 'em out,” while 78% said they should be given citizenship or legal residency. Compare that to the immigration dust up in Washington, D.C. (Read below.)

Then there was the choice to either have higher taxes and more services -or- pay lower taxes and do with fewer services.  OK, not unsurprisingly, pay more-get more is favored… but it’s a statistical tie (46%-45%).

Juxtapose that with the choice to either pay down the state’s debt -or- restore services and here’s the interesting part: You’d think with the pay more- get more services attitude, this too would be a dead heat… Nada.

More than 55% of Californians prefer the state debt be paid down while only 39% favor restoring services.

So that bespeaks of taxes, ergo revenue, correct? Governor Brown’s budget plan received a 61% favorable vote (28% don’t like it) BUT it’s a statistical dead heat when the issue du jour (changing Proposition 13) is broached. For example, changing Prop 13 to allow for 55% approval of local special taxes (vs. 2/3 approval)… 46% favor, 45% oppose. Yet an overwhelming 58% are in favor of changing to a spilt roll for commercial property tax assessment and I’m guessing maybe 7% of all Californians even knowing what a split roll is… but by golly, they favor it. (Reminiscent of P.T. Barnum’s “This Way to the Egress” sign.)

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The House voted to reject President Obama's policy to end deportation of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who were brought to the United States as children. The vote comes as Congress works on overhauling our immigration system. Interestingly, the measure came as the House completed action on the Department of Homeland Security spending bill.

Obama announced a program in June 2012 that puts off deportation for many people brought here as children. Applicants for the amnesty must have arrived before they turned 16; be younger than 31now; be high school graduates, or in school, or have served in the military; and, they can't have a serious criminal record. If not – they’re gone.

The key component to immigration reform, the DREAM Act, would award these immigrants legal status. Obama's program, done by executive action, doesn't give such immigrants legal status but it does give them a place to hide legally from deportation for two years. Round and round it goes...

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Lastly, word has it the U.S. will begin negotiations with the Taliban to persuade them to drop their ties to Al Queda. I thought our policy was not to negotiate with terrorists? Just sayin'