Tax Gas Guzzlers to Balance the Budget

Hooray for the governor in biting the bullet and coming up with a truly responsible budget plan in an election year (May 15). Wouldn’t it be nice if, in addition to increased taxes on cigarettes, we’d have increased taxes on gas guzzlers and increased taxes (via tolls) for folks who do not carpool?

We have an opportunity to decrease air pollution and our dependence on foreign oil, our biggest national security threat, by using the tax system to help change the state’s big-car, one-passenger driving culture.

Steve Oppenheimer

Northridge

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Gov. Gray Davis increases taxes on the poor and cuts programs for the poor. Isn’t this what the Democrats accuse Republicans of doing every election? The Republicans will spend your Social Security! The Republicans give the rich tax breaks! The Republicans don’t care about the homeless and poor!

Unfortunately, this upcoming election will once again be determined by the issue of abortion. Therefore Davis will win. So now the poor and middle-income people of California will be taxed so much that the thought of having children will be the best birth control, and we won’t need abortion anyway. It is a shame that both parties have ignored the real problem that caused California’s huge tax deficit--illegal immigration.

Jim Hardman

Valley Village

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Being the savvy politician that he is, I am sure that the last thing Davis wanted to do was issue a budget such as the one he unveiled last week. However, Davis is a realist and he knows what needs to be done, good or bad. The fact that he chose not to camouflage it with smoke and mirrors, as many politicians would do, is very admirable.

All those who have accused him of being a smooth-talking liar may now be quiet, along with those who blamed him for the energy crisis and the high price of gas. Davis may not be perfect, but he is good for California.

John Darling

Ventura

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Davis is raising taxes to deal with a $23.6-billion deficit just five months after he said in his Jan. 8 State of the State address that the deficit was $12 billion and that he wouldn’t “advocate” raising taxes to fix the problem. We can all rest easy knowing Davis is in charge.

Mike Abney

Laguna Beach