By: Fresno Bee Editorial Board
October 10, 2019
It is a distinction nobody wants: California has the highest gas prices in the nation…
REMEMBER THE TAX
One thing that has not changed is the impact of the gas tax charged by the state. In this, California also has the dubious distinction of being No. 1.
California voters had the chance to ditch a hike in the gas tax last November, and the wise voters in Fresno County did just that. They supported a gas-tax repeal measure on the ballot by a 52% to 42% margin…
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BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE
It gets worse.
Gov. Gavin Newsom in late September signed an executive order that lets him redirect transportation funds to programs addressing climate change. The more than $5 billion in annual transportation spending now going toward construction, operations and maintenance of roadways will instead be prioritized toward reducing congestion via “innovative strategies designed to encourage people to shift from cars to other modes of transportation.” Those modes include mass transit, walking and biking, the governor’s executive order said.
… In the November 2018 election, opponents of the repeal promised that gas tax revenues would be spent to fix California’s crumbling roads and weakening bridges. Now concerns about climate change alter that equation.
There is a term for this: bait and switch.
Taken together, this is why citizens get cynical about politicians: promises made, but not kept. Meanwhile, Californians shell out more for gas than anyone else.
At some point, Sacramento – meaning Democrats, with their supermajority domination and the governor’s office – have got to get real. …
There is a solution: Stop raising taxes. And spend taxes on what you promise. It’s that simple.
