Total Recall 2009 Blog

Ok, ok, it really is a tax, but they are naming it a Fee as a loophole way of adding revenue to the budget without requiring a ballot measure vote to the public. Other “fees” and “surcharges” have begun creeping up after the overwhelming defeat of Propositions 1A-1E on May 19th. Included in these are administrative court fees for setting up traffic school for traffic violations and certain areas are now imposing charges on emergency services beyond the standard for Ambulatory transport, among others. Add “Idea #10″ to the growing list of hidden taxes we are being forced into by our Puppet Legislation and the Unions pulling their strings.

http://calitics.com/diary/9037/whoa-is-that-a-fee

Fund CAL FIRE/CAL EMA with Emergency Response Initiative Fee.
Average cost per insurance policy holder would be $48 per year. BY would backfill a portion of CAL FIRE’s base budget. In out years, backfill E Fund costs and disaster assistance costs

I know it is not a lot of money to be required of each of us (for now, anyway), but that is not the point.
I know it is worth the cost to have the protection funded, but again, that is not the point.
I believe people who put their lives at risk to protect us and care for us when needed is worth much, much more than $48 per year (Hell, my Grandfather is a retired Fire Captain), but that is not the point.
The point is, we already pay taxes for protection and emergency care/services and we know that those tax dollars are being misappropriated.

We are not misappropriating the funds, our leaders and the union leaders are.
I believe that each of us, as individuals, are more than willing to compromise, yet our leaders will not let that happen. We are the silent majority, not by choice… by not being listened to. This is another band-aid solution for an artial wound. No matter how many you put on, the bleeding won’t stop without pressure and medical intervention. These loopholes and whatever new fees/charges/surcharges they come up with will not fix the underlying problem. California, sadly, will need to bleed out and die in order to undergo life saving surgery… all because our leaders will not sign the release forms.

Legislative Analyst LAO state that this fee will be subject to the limitations of Proposition 98 requiring some of the money to go to K-14 education, as it will likely be considered an actual tax. Once again, funding slated for one thing will likely be applied to something else – and in this case I would suspect that most of this funding will likely be going towards funding the rising cost of benefits, pensions and perks that the Unions will not budge on. A few hundred per yer, per pension or benefit plan is not too much to ask of the Unions and Union employees. We already gave that up in our Child Tax Credit, sales tax increase and Vehicle licensing fee increase… and then some. We are only asking of you what you would expect of us… some sacrifice for the greater good, not for the greater dollar amount.

Just like a fire eventually consumes all of the oxygen around it and dies without a source of fuel, the Unions and Bloated Government have consumed all of the funds to pay for benefits, salaries and perks leaving nothing but a smoldering pile of fear and anger to feed from. Their fire has consumed all of its oxygen and our state is literally bellowing itself to death. Meanwhile Legislators and Union Heads gather and try to stoke the fire hoping in vain to find more fuel to consume within fading embers and ash.

Someone needs to hand Governor Nero a fiddle, he’s already surrounded by lyres.

We are continuously being force fed fear in order to facilitate the retaliation tactics we are seeing in lieu of the May 19th defeat of Propositions 1A-1E, and we are expected to be okay with this. I, for one, am most definitely not okay with this and I am appalled even more deeply than ever having bore witness to this approach first hand. In my opinion, Governor Schwarzenegger’s strength of character is roughly the same as his physical stature, which was surprisingly short. Then again, I’m quite tall, but no matter…

Once again, we are being told that California is on the brink of collapse. Once again we hear that the Legislation knows it cannot spend beyond its means. Once again these words are backed up by unfathomable actions, brought forth in measures currently being passed through Legislation and, even more terrifying, by the Unions themselves. Where is the true reform? Where is our Governor’s backbone?

The largest of Schwarzenegger’s cuts are coming from the most sensitive and necessary aspects of a functioning society (Public Health, Education and Incarceration), while the administrative back ends for these conglomerates are allocated the same working model that has driven our economy into the ground. With a 30:1 ratio of Administrators to Teachers, in some areas, Sacramento has chosen to go after the classrooms and not the cubicles. Comparatively, there was almost no discussion as to how to deal with the new corporate giant in California: our Government.

Yes, Sacramento offered up pay cuts, but not until the end of 2011 for Legislators. This is not sacrifice, this is stupidity. The private sector has sacrificed and is willing to continue to sacrifice in order to save our once great State. The public sector is in a complete and total state of delusion in their entitlement mentality and is expecting exemption from sacrifice to facilitate their selfish agendas. Do not tell me that your actions are for the benefit of my child, when my child will be suffering for your digressions well into his adulthood. We only expect you to be willing to compromise as we have been doing all along. Evidently, this is too much to ask. Evidently, it’s not even important enough to discuss in a Budget Presentation touted to enlighten the public.

While we are on the brink of fiscal insolvency, our legislation is trying to create even more bureaucracy: A Blueberry Committee, a Commission to ensure that Pomegranate Juice is Pomegranate, and legislation to make sure Medical Name Tags are in an 18pt font, to name a few. Add to this, that we now have Unions attempting to force tax increases to cover their own self interests… NONE of which was touched upon by the man we elected to control government spending and reduce waste.

Our Governor bragged that he used his Executive Authority to condense and/or remove “over a dozen” redundant offices (out of how many hundred??). He joked about his first movie, “Hercules in New York” while he boosted his ego by explaining his choice of Escondido because “this area was so kind to me in the elections” giving him 80% of the votes. He touted the digital text books for schools concept. While this is a great concept, we cannot spend our way out of debt, Governor. Where will the funding come from to implement this when, as you said, “Our wallet is empty, our bank is closed and our credit is dried up”. Once again, band aid solutions are being applied to an arterial wound.

This “presentation” was nothing more than more rhetoric and hot air. Rather than wasting time gallivanting around the state to “explain” the situation, I would highly recommend you focus on your duties as Governor, Governor. WE do not need to be talked to, your colleagues and their Unions do. Not only is this your last chance to do the job we hired you to do, this is our last chance for our State to be salvaged. We elected you to keep things in line, and instead you have allowed the government to cross every line we have drawn in the sand.

While you speak of Sacramento’s denial having to come to an end and our day of reckoning being at hand, ridiculous legislation continues to be pushed through, government is still increasing and Unions are telling you how to run the state. Rather than focusing and working on the three main issues that will solve our budget woes (Immigration Enforcement, Union Reform and Legislative Reform), you focus on removing necessities and niceties from we, the people. Explain to us how closing State Parks which bring in $2.35 for each $1.00 spent on operating costs makes sense when there are Legislative Aid positions paying upwards of $80,000 per year. That’s right… you can’t.

In response to a question about keeping jobs here in California, he touted that “we are the only state to make the biggest commitment to infrastructure” and then stated that infrastructure keeps jobs here. If that is the case, explain our unemployment rates and the number of businesses leaving this state due to our “Worst Business Climate” title for the entire country. Oh wait, you meant public sector jobs, right? That brings another question… with businesses and private citizens leaving in droves, who is going to pay for these jobs? He stated that “There are a lot of jobs that will be available in the future, but the key thing now is to get out of this economic crisis and out of this financial crisis as quickly as possible”. We’ve heard that before.

Yes, Sacramento, we have told you that things have to change. That was the premise upon which each of you were given your authority and the privilege of being our voice. You turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to our warnings for a very long time. Our great mistake was entrusting you to do what is best for our selves and our homeland. It is with great sadness that I now know, beyond any shadow of doubt, that the state I was born and raised in, where I would choose to raise my child, must fail completely for any hope of true reform. Until you follow up your well scripted words, Governor, how can any another conclusion be made?

April 16, 2009 – Oceanside, California:

Today, Total Recall 2009 launched our first grass-roots campaign: “Send a Pink Slip to your Legislator”

This campaign is focused on sending a strong reminder to our legislators that We, The People, are their employer and that they are to be held accountable for their job performance (or lack thereof).  Send Your Pink Slip.

April 16, 2009 – Orange County, California:

Colin also appears on today’s front page holding up the infamous Schwarzenegger Head on a Sword -
(Thanks John & Ken and KFI 640) – click here to view.

April 15, 2009 – Santa Ana, California:

The Orange County Tea Party was a fantastic rally and I thank Megan Barth and all others involved in the planning of it.  Colin Gomes delivered a very well-received speech on behalf of our group and was featured in the Orange County Register.  A picture taken during his speech where he is holding Governor Schwarzenegger’s head on a sword as a metaphor for what the California Taxpayers will do to the governor can be found here.

We raised a significant amount in donations today, but we still need to raise a bit more. We also have the need for additional skilled workers and have other needs.

Financial needs:

1. Pay for publishing of notice in the newspaper. This will be costly and we may have enough money to take care of this as it is, but it is still uncertain how much this will cost. This is our most immediate need. This is a legal hoop that we need to jump through and the cost is based on the amount of space that is used to run the notice in the newspaper one day. (Incidentally, if anyone has connections to a newspaper that can cut us a deal, then please contact me). This needs to be done in about 7 – 14 days.
2. Pay for a P.O. Box. We need to do this because our plan is the following: We will put the petition online when it is ready. You will download the petition and then sign it. You will then send it to us. We will sort the petitions based on county and then mail it back in. The P.O. Box is relatively cheap, but we get a much better deal if we pre-pay for 6 months.
3. Eventually, we will need money for postage to send all the ballots back to the individual counties.
4. We will need to pay workers to sort and send the petitions. I have several paid workers lined up. I figure that if we get this far, donations may be pouring in. But this is something that is on the horizon. We need to collect 1.1 million “good” signatures in 160 days. This averages out to about 7000 per day. Add to that the fact that we will actually need more than that because some signatures may get thrown out for various reasons. We may be looking at 9000 signatures per day that are necessary. It will take several people to sort and send this many signatures.
5. We will probably need to pay signature gatherers as well.

For now donations can be sent by check to:

Taxpayers United to Recall Governor Schwarzenegger
631 Ridgeway Lane Box J
La Habra, CA 90631

Skilled worker needs:

1. We need some people who can constantly be contacting different media outlets – newspaper, TV, radio, and internet. Every single one of the people involved in the leadership of our movement has a day job and it is very difficult for us to run everything. We need people who can barrage media all across the state and help set up interviews for us.
2. We need everyone to alert their friends that this movement is taking place. Facebook all your friends and invite them to this site.
3. We need people who can contact donors. We need people who can contact businesses such as auto dealerships and other small business owners who are greatly affected by the harsh economic policies of Governor Schwarzenegger. If we start getting some businesses to help us out, we will be unstoppable.
4. We need people who can contact party leaders – from the highest ranks of government all the way down to city councils (Democrat and Republican) – and tell them that they need to get on board with us if they want to retain any level of respectability.
5. We need a professional treasurer who can take care of bookkeeping for us.

Other needs:

We need a place to count and store all the recall ballots. If anyone can donate office space to us over the summer, this would cut down the cost of having to rent an office. Our group has no suitable area currently to stage a massive petition sorting operation.

This can be done. The overwhelming majority of Californians do not support Benedict Arnold. If we all pool our resources together, we can have a new governor by the end of the year, and the entire nation will be sent a message – that tyrannical two-faced leaders will not be tolerated. We ordinary, average citizens rule this nation and we, not they, will determine the future of our state and of our country.

Thank you,

Denny Fusek
Executive Director
Taxpayers United to Recall Governor Schwarzenegger

April 15, 2009 – La Mirada, California:

For Immediate Release:

A taxpayer group, TAXPAYERS UNITED TO RECALL GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER, today served Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with notice of intention to recall him. This notice is the first step in the process of removing the Governor from office.

Taxpayers United to Recall Governor Schwarzenegger represents California taxpayers frustrated with reckless state spending and tax increases. In a recent budget deal, California lawmakers reached a bipartisan agreement to raise taxes on Californians, who already pay the highest income and sales taxes in the nation.

“This recall is about accountability and not about party or ideology,” argues Taxpayers United, “Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has destroyed California jobs and opportunity, worsened state finances, and raised taxes on struggling Californians amidst a recession.”

Taxpayers United claims that Governor Schwarzenegger worsened state finances by massively increasing state spending. “The Governor promised to reduce state spending and reform state government when he ran for office,” they say, “Instead, he increased spending by over 40 percent, benefiting public sector unions and special interests, at the expense of taxpayers.”

The Governor raised taxes on struggling Californians, states Taxpayers United, “Californians are struggling in the face of job cuts, pay cuts, and retirement losses. State workers enjoy job security, pay increases, and generous pensions,” they argue, “In order to pay these special interests, the governor passed the largest state tax increase in U.S. history – on struggling Californians who already pay the highest income and sales taxes in the nation.”

The taxpayer group criticizes the Governor for destroying California jobs and opportunity. “Middle class Californians are fleeing the state because costly and burdensome state laws are driving jobs to other states,” they argue, “The governor promised to help encourage job creation by reducing costly regulation. Instead, he passed more job-killing mandates that are destroying California jobs and opportunity.”

Taxpayers United today mailed the Governor a notice endorsed by 120 frustrated taxpayers. Governor Schwarzenegger has 7 days to answer the notice, after which Taxpayers United will prepare petitions for gathering the signatures necessary to recall Governor Schwarzenegger. “Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger must be held accountable for worsening the lives of California taxpayers, voters, and families,” says Taxpayers United, “We expect Democrats and Republicans to unite in restoring accountability to state government.”

Taxpayers United to Recall Governor Schwarzenegger
631 Ridgeway Lane Box J
La Habra, CA 90631
(562) 665-8615

April 15, 2009 – Santa Ana & Oceanside, California:

Today, Taxpayers United to Recall Governor Schwarzenegger will be attending the Orange County Tea Party in Santa Ana. Co-Directory, Colin Gomes, will be speaking on behalf of our organization.

Orange County Tea Party
Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: Plaza of the Flags, Santa Ana Civic Center – Behind the Superior Court Building. Bounded by Flower Street, Santa Ana Boulevard and Civic Center Drive.

April 11, 2009 – San Diego, California:

The Total Recall 2009/Taxpayers United to Recall Governor Schwarzenegger leadership team met tonight to discuss strategy for the weeks ahead. We have some very exciting things in the works. The ball is rolling. Stay posted!

- Colin

Huge Success!

With an estimate of 15,000+ in attendance, the first Tax Revolt was a huge success!

We will be updating the site with new Recall Campaign links, photos and more over the next few days.

Thank you to all who took the time to attend, to those who were unable to attend but listened and were there in spirit. We were blown away by the turn out and by the passion of our fellow citizens. It was truly an event to behold and an honor to meet you all!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to be informed of new campaign events and to visit the John and Ken Facebook page or our main site! Stay informed – Get Involved – Make Your Voice Heard!

To see some photos from the Rally, click here.  More to come…