Thursday, January 07, 2016

California's New Laws Series: More Cash for New Laws

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Those looking to change laws in the future are going to have to pony up a lot more cash (AB 1100): Want to file a ballot initiative for the next California ballot? Get ready to pay a lot more. The law states “...existing law requires a fee of $200 to be paid by the proponents when a proposed ballot initiative or referendum is submitted to the Attorney General for preparation of a circulating title and summary. This bill would increase the filing fee from $200 to $2,000.”

According to liberal left progressive Democrats, the average person out there should not be involved in the complicated process of government, or law-making.  They do everything they can to make sure only gobs and gobs of money can get anything done - even though the sweet and "small guy supporting" Democrats voice the opposite in their campaign speeches.  The reality is, the Democrat Party is better at fund-raising, and they want to do anything they can to keep the "small guy" out of the government world of politics.  Socialist money is quicker to contribute than is capitalist money.  After all, they are trying the save the world.  So higher fees won't hurt any Democrat causes.  But grassroots efforts may very well be stopped in their tracks if the fees are high enough.

So, if you want to put on the ballot an initiative to challenge this latest list of tyrannical laws put out by the tyrants in Washington, or if you want to try and initiate your own new unique law, or if the next grassroots opposition effort on the horizon is ready to launch their agenda to "change Sacramento," the money needed to participate has just skyrocketed.  Among those rising costs to participate in civics is the filing fee, which according to this new law will be jumping from $200 to $2,000.

The higher fee is not because it costs that much to administer it.  It is designed to do one thing.  As the old saying goes, "If you want less of an activity, tax it."

When I ran for Murrieta City Council back in 2010, a young man who had run for office before spent some time with me to help me prepare.  I asked him why the fees, and especially the fee for putting my statement in the voter booklet, was so expensive.  He said, "So poor people don't run, and especially so that poor people don't get their message out there."

The average citizen poses a threat to the political power brokers, so they are willing to do anything they to stop any grassroots effort determined to fight against them.  The opposition must be silenced, but since they can't (yet) make your political voice illegal, they will force you to be unable to speak it by imposing higher fees.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

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