The Advent of Government's Mega-overreach

George Rebane

Those who pay attention were made aware that Sacramento is next preparing a bill that would tax companies doing business in California on the basis of the difference between their CEO and median worker pay. (more here)  Portland already passed such a tax regulation last year.  Now you may ask, what business is it of government, or any non-owner of a private company, as to what should be their pay scale.  What’s the reasonable basis for government to reach into a company’s operating policy and impose punitive measures if it doesn’t do what politicians and government bureaucrats dictate?  Actually, there is no reasonable basis for this, nor need there be as long as government threatens the use of their gun.

What should concern all of us right-leaners is what comes next if the court challenges to this new super-stupid law fail.  There is nothing then to stop government from constructively appropriating private corporations – first slowly, then rampantly - by extending their operational dicta to everything from how many products of what kind companies should make, how much of a ‘fair market’ price they should charge for them, what should be the pay for specific jobs, …, the list is endless once this tax regimen is accepted.  Companies would still bear the full measure of risk for such operating policies enforced from on high.  Such a mega-overreach of private businesses is exactly what Hitler did in the 1930s to extend the cold hand of national socialism over Germany.  (Our already left-leaning media didn’t then know how to report that because Stalinist communism had already appropriated all production in the USSR.)

The likelihood of this scenario being the actual death knell of open market capitalism in America is heightened by the lack of involvement and critical thinking skills of our electorate.  And here I’m not talking about those of today’s hard-leftists (like those who frequent RR comment streams); what should concern us all are those millions of mid-roaders and independents now inured to years of lamestream propaganda – those whose socio-political ideology is at best a soft mush that can be re/shaped by the most recent socialist slogan.

AB5 is a related super-stupid California law that has become the legislative analogue of swiss cheese given all the exclusions that it is in the process of incorporating.  We covered its introduction in ‘California’s latest dumb to dumber’.  And to remind readers that stupid governance in California is not restricted to any one sector, we brought SB419 to readers’ attention in ‘SB419 – Stupid becomes stupider’.  Ms Terry McLaughlin in the 16jan20 Union (here) gives a more complete treatment of the effects of AB5 since its passage.  I could go on to also review the impact of SB50 on local control of planning and restrictions on rent increases, but there's enough here to again communicate the ongoing disaster that is Sacramento.

It will be most interesting to read the leftwing's apologetics for all this insanity in California, because we know they are true believers in whatever comes out of Sacramento (fashioned in their image), even if they don’t have the ability to present a rational defense of their beliefs.

Comments

[Bill Tozer]

And let’s forget the total undermining of Prop 13 (Commercial and business property tax) flying now under the radar at full speed. It’s going to happen

What about Prop 13? Oh, it’s a big nothing burger. It’s only the rich big box stores and Commercial properties and banks and all business and they can afford it. “Whew, for a second there I thought you were talking about MY property taxes! It’s just businesses. That was close. Dodged a bullet.”
——————-
Most interesting indeed.

“It will be most interesting to read the leftwing's apologetics for all this insanity in California, because we know they are true believers in whatever comes out of Sacramento (fashioned in their image), even if they don’t have the ability to present a rational defense of their beliefs.”

Actually, I posted only to draw attention to you post, Dr. Rebane. Another goodie. :)

[George Rebane]

BillT 307pm - You have done me a service Mr Tozer, how can I ever repay? ;-)

[odlaW]

,,,Big Government Overreach began to snowball a half century ago during the Great Society era...

Hasn’t that always been the dance...saber rattling vs. rattling those pots and pans???

We have always seen a variety of crackpot schemes come through the legislature...

[Scott O]

odd-one 7:01 - Fed govt over-reach started in earnest waaaay before the 60s. The sedition act during the 'Great War' was astonishingly un-American and who can forget that poor farmer being fined for growing 'too much' wheat under the interstate commerce clause even though he never sold any or had any intention of selling any.
Various state govts have also covered themselves in cow-crap since the beginning of our Republic with some real doozies - Jim Crow, anyone?
Assessing an extra tax or adding to an existing tax against a corporation due to what the corp is paying its employees is none of the govt's business. Further - what benefit to the general community could possibly come of this law? I'll bet the corps end up getting extremely creative in recompense packages for their top tier employees or even easier - just leave the state.

[Bill Tozer]

CALIFORNIA NOW PUSHING FREE HEALTH CARE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SENIORS

If you look at what they’re doing in California, how they’re treating people, they don’t treat their people as well as they treat illegal immigrants,” Trump said in a speech at the time. “So at what point does it stop? It’s crazy what they’re doing. It’s crazy. And it’s mean, and it’s very unfair to our citizens.”

Trump is right. California has waged a war on the concept of citizenship by essentially sidestepping the will of the American people and intentionally undermining immigration laws.

Worse, by extending social welfare to those illegal immigrants, the state is signaling that the concept of citizenship itself is meaningless.

It’s clear that California’s craziness doesn’t stop, as Newsom and the state’s Democrats have doubled down to extend free health care coverage to even greater numbers of illegal immigrants.

Newsom’s latest proposed budget now aims to extend free health care coverage to illegal immigrants 65 years old and older as a part of the state’s Medi-Cal program. This would add $80.5 million to the budget this year and $350 million annually once fully implemented, according to Politico.

Newsom has made a push to extend health care coverage to everyone in the state, including those who aren’t legal citizens.

“We believe universal health care lowers the cost for everybody,” Newsom said. “We believe the evidence bears that out. We believe it’s the right thing to do morally and ethically. We also believe it is the financially responsible thing to do.”

https://news.grabien.com/story-california-now-pushing-free-health-care-illegal-immigrant-se

“We believe universal health care lowers the cost for everybody,” Newsom said. “We believe the evidence bears that out. We believe.....blah, blah, blah”

Lowers the cost for everybody??? Not the middle class. Lowers the cost for everybody, lol

[scenes]

re: BillT@1:15

Hang on for a second, from your quoted article:

"This would add $80.5 million to the budget this year and $350 million annually once fully implemented,..."

$350M

I looked around for a sec and found that senior illegals make up 12%-13% of the illegal alien population.

California has about 2.6M illegal aliens, taken from a couple of studies.

2.6M * .13 = 338k. 350M into 338k is 1000 roughly speaking. So Newsom is going to provide health care for 65+ year olds for $1000/yr?

Say what? Did I miss something here?

[scenes]

also on healthcare:

"Lowers the cost for everybody??? Not the middle class. "

I think that the idea is that the state puts a huge cadre of people on MediCal, and then forces all the providers to honor MediCal rates. It's like how the state forces hospitals to provide free healthcare via emergency rooms for the indigent.

Good luck on all this. I guess they might as well just cut to the chase and make all health professionals into state employees. It'll be like DMV but bigger.

[odlaW]

,,,Well there you go ScottO,,,

George should be used to all this overreach by now since it has been going on since the Great War...

[fish]

Posted by: scenes | 17 January 2020 at 01:43 PM

So Newsom is going to provide health care for 65+ year olds for $1000/yr?

Say what? Did I miss something

Long generic aspirin futures!

[George Rebane]

Those who claim that this mega-overreach is nothing special have not been paying attention, and they are the main reason that govt gets to continue taking over our lives. Why? Because they vote wrong.

[Scott O]

odd-law 2:46 - "George should be used to all this overreach by now since it has been going on since the Great War..."
So - we should just get used to giving up our Constitutional rights because it's been going on for so long.
Sounds like a typical lefty loser slogan.

[Scott O]

Bill T and scenes - "This would add $80.5 million to the budget this year and $350 million annually once fully implemented,..."
How can you 2 cynics quibble over the highly accurate figures from the professionals in govt?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2013/10/21/jim-demints-claims-about-medicare-cost-estimates-from-1965/

“Nearly 50 years ago, at the time of Medicare’s enactment, it was projected that the federal government would spend $9 billion on Part A hospital services in 1990. Actual spending in that year totaled $67 billion—an increase of 644% compared with initial estimates.

“Likewise, government officials originally projected that Medicare Part B physician services would require ‘federal appropriations of about $500 million a year from general tax revenues.’ Last year, the federal outlay for that program was $163.8 billion—overshooting the original estimate by more than 4,400%.”

Of course, CA is different - everything the state govt does comes right in on budget every time.
Look at BART - uh no, wait...
Look at the High Speed Snail choo choo train scam...
Oh well.
This time, I'm sure they'll do it right.

[scenes]

re: ScottO

The real number for over 65 illegal aliens would easily surpass $1200/month. Medicare is already there and there's the complexity of under-market health provider rates, etc. to deal with.

$5B? Probably more? It only adds 2.5% to the state budget, so it's not a catastrophe. A pretty tidy situation. Young illegal aliens can't be deported for various reasons, the working-age ones can't be deported because they work or they might be tempted to work, the elderly can't because they're, well, old. There might be a whole new industry in throwing abuelas over the Trump Wall at 65 in order to sign up.

Things get real exciting if you add in nursing home costs.

Maybe here's our chance to take a page from Douglas Adams and simply declare that leaves are money. There should be enough trees to make everyone rich.

[Bill Tozer]

Some nuggets of what’s to come. We are being disenfranchised.

“When voters go to the booth, they’re not expressing a mere personal preference,” Smith told me. According to Smith, voters who pull the levers to harm black people are violating the Constitution. If the Constitution means that overt racist appeals undermine the legality of union elections, it stands to reason that they undermine the legality of other elections, as well.“
——-
The usual remedy for racial discrimination is censure or fines . . . It’s more difficult to censure voters who have violated their constitutional duties. Nullifying elections would be essentially impossible. But Smith argues that there are other options.

“I think we can dismantle some of the features of the electoral system that encourage racialized decision-making,” he says. “For instance, you only get a partisan gerrymander by moving people in and out of districts on the basis of their race.” Ending this practice at the state and federal levels would be a big step toward reducing the power of racism at the ballot box, as would ending the use of Voter IDs intended to disenfranchise black voters.”

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/01/media-madness-nbc-news-tells-cnn-hold-my-beer.php

“The Hooded Utilitarian”? Seriously, does he not know that’s the perfect description of not just the sartorial preference but in fact the philosophy of the KKK?

Maybe Berlatsky is conducting a years-long hoax on everyone, in which case I’ll tip my hat to him for bringing down NBC News.”

[fish]

Posted by: Bill Tozer | 18 January 2020 at 12:20 PM

Noah Berlatsky is the embodiment of a moms basement dwelling handing out crudely prepared tracts at the bus terminal guy.....

We should enjoy him in that spirit!

[Bill Tozer]

Great read from Andrew McCarthy. Unassailable, IMHO. If they really had a true impeachable offense, they sure would not be acting they way they are acting...and neither would the Republicans.

The Hole in the Impeachment Case

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/01/trump-impeachment-trial-charges-lack-indictable-offense/

Last 3 paragraphs:

“The Framers expected presidents to abuse their powers from time to time. And not just presidents. Our Constitution’s theory of the human condition, and thus of governance, is that power is apt to corrupt anyone. It needs to be divided, and the peer components need to be incentivized to check each other. The operating assumption is that, otherwise, one component would accumulate too much power and inevitably fall prey to the tyrannical temptation. But as Madison observed, men are not angels. Separation of powers arms us against inevitable abuse, it does not prevent abuse from happening. Abuse is a given: Congress uses lawmaking power to encroach on the other branches’ prerogatives; judges legislate from the bench, presidents leverage their awesome powers for political advantage. The expectation is not that government officials will never overreach; it is that when one branch does overreach, the others will bring it into line.

That is the norm: corrective action or inaction, political pressure, naming and shaming, power of the purse, and so on. We expect to criticize, inveigh, even censure. We don’t leap from abuse to expulsion. We don’t expect routinely to expel members of Congress or impeach presidents and judges. That is reserved for historically extraordinary wrongs.

On Ukraine, nothing of consequence came of President Trump’s bull-in-a-china-shop excesses. Sure, they ought to be a 2020 campaign issue. Democrats, instead, would have us exaggerate them into historically extraordinary wrongs. For that, you need gamesmanship. If there were real impeachable misconduct, there would be no time or place for games.”

[scenes]

re: BillT@12:20PM

The funny thing about that chain of articles (article to article to book reference) is that the book hasn't even been published yet. It's highly likely that there was an arrangement to get early copies out to columnists in order to produce desired writings.

Nothing is as it seems. Say it ain't so, Joe!

What I find amusing about the Racist Industrial Compex, and it really is that, is the vehemence. Really, the guys like Tim Wise, who has made a tidy living at this kind of thing, are far more aggressive acting than the most racist whites, exception made for prison gangs involved in some active war. On one side you might have a bunch of schmoes who are generally indifferent to POC but don't want to live in the same neighborhood, versus crazy acting people.

I guess that depth of feeling *against* things is the new religion. That is the essence of Emerianism. Better to be against those bad people as opposed to being for acceptance of others, but then you'd have to move out of Whiteopia.

[Bill Tozer]

Everything's the same

https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2020/01/24/42658513/seattle-school-board-takes-steps-to-dismantle-gifted-program