How about “Free,” with an asterisk?
I was at Manhattan Beach’s Hometown Fair over the weekend with the Junior Administration Officials, and saw petitions being collected for an initiative that, according to the sign in the photo, would mean “Free preschool for all kids in California.” I took a photo of the booth because it’s so rare to come across something of value that is truly “free.”
Imagine my disappointment when I found this on the Secretary of State’s website (scroll to the bottom for the summary of initiative 1151) — the “free” preschool is …
… Funded by 1.7% tax on individual income above $400,000 annually; $800,000 for couples. … Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased personal income taxes on high-income earners beginning in 2007, with revenues reaching approximately $2.4 billion annually in 2010-11.
“Revenue” always sounds like a good thing — far better than “$2.4b in increased income taxes.”
Technorati Tags: California, California initiatives, initiatives, public preschool education
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October 4th, 2005 at 6:54 am
Those people can afford it.
October 6th, 2005 at 1:56 pm
Was the person at the table named McMartin?