Re "Let's talk taxes," May 13
More power to Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), our new Assembly speaker, and her proposal to consider revising our tax structure. The miracle of the Silicon Valley happened here because of our formerly great educational system. As I teach business writing workshops across the country, some younger participants explain their poor written English with an apologetic "I went to school in California." Are the state's glaring losses just fine with most Californians?
Schwarzenegger dropped wrecking balls on cars during his campaign to symbolize ending the car tax -- but the car tax was a mild burden compared with the diminished quality of life the governor and Legislature now offer us. Apparently Bass believes that taking a new look at the state's tax structure is not only a good idea but a necessary next step. At last: leadership.
Nancy Breuer
West Hills
Bass bemoans the tax structure but fails to mention that the main problem is that the state spends too much. Rather than throwing more money into a failed system, the money for the commission could be better spent trying to get us out of the gerrymandered mess we used to call the Assembly.