Brooks' missing data

Reader comment on: David Brooks on California

Submitted by J.Johnson (United States), Sep 29, 2010 11:24

The Calif GDP between 1980 and 2008 grew by about 5.55 times. I thought the issue here was Prop 13 and the state's deficit. To look at that you need to look at spending. Between 1980 and 2008 the California state budget skyrocketed 6-fold from $24.5 Billion to $146.5 Billion, an increase of $122 Billion. He does not tell us how many Billions Prop 13 shaved off property tax receipts, but it cannot be anything close to the $122 Billion increase in spending. And, of course, given the enormous bag of tricks the Legislature and Governator now use to disguise spending, the real 2008 budget was significantly greater than $146 Billion. California liberals have been flogging the Prop 13 argument for years and it is unsurprising that Brooks, revealing himself as a liberal on more and more issues, falls right in line. While it is true that a decrease in revenue, such as that arising from Prop 13, will increase the state's deficit if not offset by a spending decrease, it is a gross exageration to say that Prop 13 is THE cause, or even THE MAJOR CAUSE, of California's financial predicament.

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