Our newly elected 38th District Assemblywoman Christy Smith has proven she quickly melded into the faction of Sacramento’s Democrats’ super majority, showing us that, like them, there is no tax she won’t support and escort in.
On Nov. 9, the Public Utilities Commission proposed compelling universal service surcharges on text messages, claiming there was ambiguity in the classifications of “telecommunications services” versus “information services” by the FCC, the ruling body. Later that month, the FCC clarified that text messages are information services. This resulted in prohibiting taxes on our text messages. With that result, the PUC dropped their efforts.
That’s right, the eternal tax-and-spenders were, and undoubtedly still are, feverishly laboring for legislation to tax each and every text message you, your family, your business, your employees, etc., send. I say send, because we don’t know, and there’s no guarantee, they won’t tax each text message we receive. Also, the PUC’s proposed tax did not apply to messaging apps, although the functions are quite similar; at least for now. This greedy bunch will have that on the table in short order; remember, this group stops at nothing.
Assembly Bill 162 was introduced on Jan. 7. Its intent was to (1) prohibit this “text tax” from ever being proposed again; (2) stop the extra costs for each and every consumer, family, business and very significantly, the poorest among us; and (3) it treats the texts the same as the not-yet-included messaging apps.
A vote was held on AB162 on May 9 in the state Assembly. Christy Smith’s recorded vote is a patent, unmistakable “NO”! With her participation in facilitating AB162’s failure, the “text tax” can (and I say will) surface again… and again, until it’s pushed through. Alternatively it may find itself in the same place as the sudden, midnight passage of the boondoggled gasoline tax increase and its partner, the outrageous and enormous swell in vehicle registration fees.
While Christy Smith’s damaging vote affects multi-millions of Californians, and certainly her constituents, another of her votes handsomely enhances California’s Democrats, liberals and the left.
Smith was sworn in on Dec. 5. Within hours of taking office, she voted in favor of the Assembly’s House Resolution 1. HR1 establishes the standing rules of the chamber for the new legislative session. Smith voted for HR1, which on its face seems to be a benign one-word change from “shall” to “may.” Unfortunately for the California minority, that change yields a significant negative affect and a boost for the super majority, of course.
In summary, the passage of HR1 quashes the rights of bill authors to have their bills presented and heard. This is a powerful change to protocol and clear overreach by Democrats. If a chairperson does not want a bill to be heard and discussed, it will not be and that author is rendered silent.
Christy Smith’s vote on HR1 before her new chair was even warm, and the recent vote against prohibiting one more tax on Californians, clearly reveals the true picture of her intent and future behavior while holding that title.
While it’s said that all politics are local, there are bigger concepts to consider.
The leftist-laden Sacramento is quite accomplished at incremental politics. Presently they’re gnawing away at Proposition 13 (property owners’ taxation protection) by inching toward 13’s demolition, targeting commercial property. That increased tax on businesses will be passed on to consumers in the form of goods and services we purchase. It’s a safe bet that the definition of “commercial property” will change and expand to such things as mom and pop rental units. Any money garnered from this will be swiftly mismanaged and spent and phase two will be implemented; that will be our homes. Look at your tax bill and imagine it being 150-200 percent higher.
Can you afford that?
The list of destruction flooding out of this Democrat-majority is hazardous and detrimental to all of us. We are living the perilous consequences of Jerry Brown and cohorts emptying out the prisons and Gavin Newsom continuing the practice with dangerous criminal pardons to persons, for example, convicted of solicitation to commit murder and participation in a street gang…non-citizens to boot.
Why?
“By granting these pardons to people who are transforming their lives, the governor is seeking to remove barriers to employment and public service, restore civic rights and responsibilities and prevent unjust collateral consequences of conviction.”
The list of more encroachments, restrictions, encumbrances, regulations and increasing taxes imposed by the present Sacramento dominance is metastatic and, for our 38th District specifically, none will be challenged by Christy Smith.
This week, Assemblywoman Smith did take time to comment on her 50th birthday with a post including the introduction: “Let me start by saying you’re just a number — so you can F-off.”
If only she would say that to new taxes and bad policies.
Betty Arenson is a Santa Clarita resident. “Right Here, Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among several local Republicans.
