Paul Ryan

The tax plan announced by Speaker Paul Ryan is a positive move towards simplifying our tax code and making taxes more transparent to working families.

While some Californians will be adversely affected by an elimination of the deductions that currently exist for state and local taxes paid, a bigger question arises: Why don’t we just lower the tax burden on California’s hard working families in the State to offset the impact that comes with the removal of federal deduction for state income taxes?

It’s never made sense that we’re able to raise taxes on California’s working families to pay for big social programs and then just say that it won’t really cost anything because families can write the state income tax off on their tax returns. All that policy does is allow California’s big spenders to have the federal government ultimately pay the bill for our own state’s costly programs.

After all, the Governor campaigned for Proposition 30 which raised income taxes on Californians. The tax was supposed to be temporary, but as is usually the case, there is no such thing as a temporary tax in the State of California.

It seems clear the proposed tax plan unveiled yesterday is upsetting California’s entrenched liberal Legislators heartburn because it’s going to force the State to finally be honest with constituents about how much their pet programs and social engineering are really costing the State.

If the Democrats in control of Sacramento want to keep spending, they should be honest and just own up to the fact that the federal government isn’t responsible for the fiscal mess we’re in. The Democrats keep raising taxes in California – it’s about time the federal government stops letting them off the hook by giving them cover with an overly complicated federal tax system.”

There will be a lot of work done over the coming weeks in Congress, but I’m hopeful that the discussion on taxes is less about what the federal government is doing to California and focuses more on what big spending liberals in the Legislature are really doing to the taxpayers of California.

Jeff Stone is a member of the California State Senate, representing the 28th District.

This article was originally published by Fox and Hounds Daily

Bucking their newly minted party leadership, several members of California’s congressional delegation have resolved to push ahead with a new bill that would reform immigration law by loosening it up.

Reps. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, and David Valadao, R-Hanford, expressed confidence that they can secure a vote on the so-called ENLIST Act, which has been stalled in committee for months. The Act, as the Los Angeles Times reported, “would allow people brought to the United States illegally as children before 2011 to become lawful alien residents if they complete a term of military service.”

Although Denham and Valadao, the Times added, rank “among the most outspoken members of their party pushing for comprehensive immigration overhaul,” their focus on ENLIST reflected a broader unwillingness among House Republicans to tackle the issue this election season — whether in pieces or as a whole.

Running out the clock

The hands-off position was freshly cemented by newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan. To help secure the backing of the House Freedom Caucus, which has depicted comprehensive immigration reform as a concoction of big business and big government, “Ryan pledged he would not move an immigration reform overhaul to the floor unless it was backed by a majority of House Republicans,” as The Hill recalled.

Ryan, The Hill noted, “was loosely involved with talks about immigration reform in the House in 2013. At the time, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers was working to put together a comprehensive immigration overhaul. Ryan wasn’t part of the core group, but did have conversations with its members.” Leading Republicans have sometimes been burned by their support for that effort. Sen. Marco Rubio, for instance, has had to pivot away in order to shore up his right flank and seize an advantage against main primary season rival Gov. Jeb Bush.

Balance and blame

Ryan, for his part, did not disavow outright his preference for a so-called “pathway” to citizenship for many unlawful and undocumented immigrants. But in recent remarks on the CBS program Meet the Press, he tried to indicate that he actually preferred a path to “legal status” instead of outright citizenship, as the Associated Press noted:

“Legal status versus citizenship is an important distinction, partly because only citizenship confers the right to vote. His office said Ryan supports ‘earned legal status,’ noting that this could eventually lead to citizenship through existing channels.”

At the same time, Ryan blamed president Obama for his reluctance to proceed with immigration legislation. “Look, I think it would be a ridiculous notion to try and work on an issue like this with a president we simply cannot trust on this issue,” he said. “He tried to go it alone, circumventing the legislative process with his executive orders, so that is not in the cards.”

The response from the White House was swift. Press Secretary Josh Earnest “accused new House Speaker Paul Ryan of ‘pandering to the extreme right wing’ of his party on immigration,” the Associated Press reported, labeling his comments “preposterous.”

Bicoastal politics

Although the testy rhetoric suggested little room for lawmakers to maneuver, California Republicans like Denham and Valadao have taken advantage of unusual personal circumstances to pursue their agenda. Hispanics make up a significant percentage of voters in both representatives’ districts, as the Hill observed, while both currently lean Republican, the Cook Political Report determined.

In other words, although their districts remained competitive heading into 2016, both lawmakers boasted enough support at home to seek to expand their vote by sticking their neck out politically in Washington. Of late, California has racked up numerous and generous programs for unlawful immigrants. Measures passed this year, the AP noted, “to help immigrants in the U.S. illegally by improving their access to health care, opposing discrimination and enabling more people to apply for legal status. One measure aims to help immigrant crime victims apply for federal government visas.”

Originally published by CalWatchdog.com