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Kern County Taxpayers Association
331 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield Ca 93301
Phone:661-322-2973
Fax:661-321-9550 |
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THE KERN COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION
KERNTAX is a member-supported, non-partisan, 501(c)4 non-profit corporation, whose purpose is to bring about, through cooperative effort and communication, greater economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in government, basing its recommendations upon the analysis of facts obtained through research.
Being non-partisan, KERNTAX is politically independent, viewing matters and policies in an objective, impartial manner, and taking positions based on the Association's adopted principles. Founded in 1939, KERNTAX has had only one bias, the best interests of Kern County taxpayers.
Section 501(c)(4) of the IRS tax code is reserved for organizations operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare. KERNTAX may engage in unlimited amounts of lobbying activity, which the IRS defines as attempts to influence legislation, but may not be primarily engaged in efforts to affect the outcomes of elections.
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QUOTE OF THE YEAR
"CHANGE IS LIKE HEAVEN: EVERYONE WANTS TO GO THERE, BUT NOBODY WANTS TO DIE." ADDING THAT IT IS DURING THE "SEASON OF CHANGE" THAT LEADERSHIP MATTERS MOST. "LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT SEEING AND SEIZING POSSIBILITIES AND HELPING OTHERS SEE THEM AND SEIZE THEM AS WELL." -CARLY FIORINA, FORMER CEO OF HEWLETT-PACKARD
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| Announcements |
Oil Severance Tax |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 07/02/2009 01:28
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Media Event Comments on Oil Severance Tax
Californians Against Higher Taxes
By Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
Kern County Taxpayers Association
July 2, 2009
Good morning, I am Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director of the Kern County Taxpayers Association.
KERNTAX opposes the State Legislature’s attempt to impose a Oil Severance Tax for several reasons:
Six states—Texas, Louisiana, Alaska, California, Oklahoma, and Wyoming—account for 80 percent of all oil produced in the United States. |
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Questions about Sheriff's Budget |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 07/01/2009 02:29
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Comments to the Board of Supervisors
Questions Concerning the Sheriff’s Budget
By Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
Kern County Taxpayers Association
Chairman McQuiston, Members of the Board, I am Michael Turnipseed, representing the Kern County Taxpayers Association.
Yesterday, we received the attached fax with questions concerning the Sheriff’s budget. Many of these questions are worthy of your consideration. We respectfully request that your Board address some of the issues brought forth in this fax.
Thank you for your time and consideration of these questions for the Sheriff. |
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Mark your Calendar |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 07/01/2009 02:25
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Comments to the Kern County Board of Supervisors
‘Mark Your Calendars”
By Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
Kern County Taxpayers Association
June 30, 2009
Chairman McQuiston, Members of the Board, I am Michael Turnipseed, representing the Kern County Taxpayers Association.
Today, June 30, 2009, government agencies across California will be benchmarking the values of their individual pension funds. On this day, one year ago, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, our nation’s benchmark indicator of stock values, was 11,350. This morning, when the markets opened, the Dow was 8,530, a 25 percent decline.
On June 30, 2008, Kern County’s pension fund had $2.8 billion in liabilities, with only $2.1 billion in assets. Today’s value of those assets is approximately $1.57 billion, which represents a loss of value of 25 percent or over $500 million. |
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Proposed Solutions to the Current Budget Crisis |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 06/16/2009 01:57
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Proposed Solutions to the Current Budget Crisis
Comments to the Kern County Board of Supervisors
By Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
Kern County Taxpayers Association
June 16, 2009
Chairman McQuiston and Members of the Board:
I am Michael Turnipseed, representing the Kern County Taxpayers Association. Mr. Chairman, at last week’s Board meeting, you asked us for some solutions to the current budget crisis. The challenges you face are mammoth in nature; but the long term fiscal health of the county is at risk if critical issues are not addressed with a sense of urgency. KERNTAX has taken your request very seriously. Our primary goal is to identify areas were the county can cut costs so it can maintain core services: deputies on the street, prisoners in jail, and firemen in the fire stations.
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PENSION REFORM FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS A NECESSITY – YES, EVEN FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 06/08/2009 12:49
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from Flashreport
PENSION REFORM FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS A NECESSITY – YES, EVEN FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
Zack Scrivner, Vice-Mayor of the City of Bakersfield
June 3, 2009
In January 2000, Senate Bill 400, signed by former Governor Gray Davis, went into effect. That is the law that added the 3% @ 50 retirement benefit option for state and local public safety employees. Two years later, Davis signed AB 616, which extended the 3% @ 60 retirement benefit option to non-safety state and local government employees. Immediately, public employee unions representing state and local government workers lobbied elected officials hard to approve the enhanced benefit levels. The unions were successful, and what has followed can only be described as one of the most egregious giveaways of taxpayer money in the history of California. |
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Police Union Attempting to Censor the Press |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 05/29/2009 05:58
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People's Republic of California:
Police Union Attempting to Censor the Press
This may be the scariest story ever written for the Cal-Taxletter. A police union is trying to stifle newspaper criticism of generous government benefits for employees.
In this case, the union representing Los Angeles police officers is pressing the new owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune to change its stance on public employee labor issues and fire its editorial writers.
Platinum Equity, the recent purchaser of the Union-Tribune, relies on pension funds of public employees for cash to make acquisitions.
Los Angeles Police Protective League President Paul Weber wrote to Platinum Equity Chief Executive Tom Gores on March 26: "Since the very public employees they continually criticize are now their owners, we strongly believe that those who currently run the editorial pages should be replaced."
Union-Tribune editor Bob Kittle said that while the paper has run several editorials criticizing the benefits and pension commitments made to public employees, the paper is not anti-public employee. "All of this has to be considered in the context of what the city can afford," he said. (Source: Los Angeles Times, May 22.)
Cal-Taxletter, May 29, 2009
© 2009 California Taxpayers' Association. All Rights Reserved.
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The path to California's fiscal crisis |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 05/18/2009 11:01
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Friday, May 15, 2009
The path to California's fiscal crisis
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer
California has always been a trendsetter. What happens in California often pops up elsewhere. Which raises this question: Are the perpetual billion-dollar deficits that haunt California state government unique to the Golden State or the harbinger of what other states can expect?
The answer, analysts say, is that although most states are experiencing some of the same financial stress, California’s woes are its own. At the same time, other states can take a cue from California's troubles. |
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Mark to Market Accounting Congressional Testimony by Bill Issac |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 03/13/2009 12:20
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TESTIMONY of WILLIAM M. ISAAC
CHAIRMAN, THE SECURA GROUP OF LECG
FORMER CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
before the SUBCOMMITTEE ON CAPITAL MARKETS, INSURANCE, AND GOVERNMENT
SPONSORED ENTERPRISES,
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES
WASHINGTON, DC
March 12, 2009
Thank you Chairman Kanjorski, Ranking Member Garrett, and Members of theCommittee for conducting this very important hearing on mark-to-market (MTM)accounting.
I use the term “mark to market accounting,” rather than “fair value accounting. ”Everyone’s goal is a fair and descriptive accounting system. There is nothing “fair” about the misleading and destructive accounting regime promoted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Accounting Standards Board under the rubric “fair value accounting.”
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Crisis as Catalyst: Reinventing the County of Kern |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 03/03/2009 12:15
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Comments to the Kern County Board of Supervisors
Crisis as Catalyst: Reinventing the County of Kern
Presented by Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
Kern County Taxpayers Association
March 3, 2009
Can Do Attitude
"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." – Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning.
It is reasonable to assume that the State of California will remain dysfunctional for some time. The national recession is also not likely to end soon. Thus, the County of Kern will face tough financial times for the foreseeable future. |
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California to Legislature: Drop Dead |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 02/12/2009 06:11
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from John Myer's Capitol Notes
February 12, 2009
California to Legislature: Drop Dead
Will all those who are happy with the Legislature, its handling of the state's $40 billion budget hole, and the way it's communicating about what happens next please stand up?
I don't see anyone... and that's not just because I'm staring at a computer screen.
It's now been more than 24 hours since the buzzing began over a budget deal, and the slings and arrows are coming from all corners at the elected officials who hang their hats under the Capitol dome. |
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The Amazing Story Behind the Global Warming Scam |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 01/30/2009 11:35
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http://www.kusi.com/weather/colemanscorner/38574742.html
The Amazing Story Behind the Global Warming Scam
By John Coleman
January 28, 2009
The key players are now all in place in Washington and in state governments across America to officially label carbon dioxide as a pollutant and enact laws that tax we citizens for our carbon footprints. Only two details stand in the way, the faltering economic times and a dramatic turn toward a colder climate. The last two bitter winters have lead to a rise in public awareness that CO2 is not a pollutant and is not a significant greenhouse gas that is triggering runaway global warming.
How did we ever get to this point where bad science is driving big government we have to struggle so to stop it? |
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Seven reasons for healthy skepticism |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 01/22/2009 03:38
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from Politico.com
Seven reasons for healthy skepticism
By: Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris
January 21, 2009 05:22 AM EST
Even in a city of cynics, the Inauguration of a new president — and the infusion of new ideas, new personalities and new energy that comes with it — summons feelings of reverence.
Barack Obama, especially, is the object of inaugural good feelings. He has assembled an impressive White House and Cabinet team. The country is clearly in his corner. With the economy gasping, and two wars dragging on sullenly, even many Republicans who ordinarily might enjoy seeing Obama fail now root for him to succeed. The stakes are simply too great. |
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You Get What You Count |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 01/20/2009 03:42
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You Get What You Count
Commentary by Jerry O. Crow
January 20, 2009
There are many ways to look at society, business, and people, one of which is to count things that relate to them. I once visited a church where the preacher talked about majestic callings and meeting divine challenges, and then stopped for the next item on the agenda. He said "Now you all know, this wouldn't be a Baptist church unless we prayed, took up an offering and, afterwards, met in the fellowship hall for potluck supper." Everyone laughed, realizing that the things that the clergy counted - attendance, donations and volunteer time - were the essence of what made up the group's values. I recall a Methodist church fixture on the front right wall, which contained the numbers for last week's attendance, donation, and this week's song numbers. What we count is a reflection on what we notice, understand, value, and advocate. |
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2008 “Results of Closed Session” Announcements |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 12/16/2008 12:35
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Comments to the Kern County Board of Supervisors
2008 “Results of Closed Session” Announcements
By Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
December 16, 2008
Chairman Rubio and Members of the Board, I am Michael Turnipseed, representing the Kern County Taxpayers Association.
KERNTAX has some concerns about the Open Meeting Act, better known as the Brown Act. Local legislative bodies, like your board, have a vital role in bring participatory democracy to the citizenry. Local government agencies were created in recognition that several minds are better than one, and that through debate and discussion, the best ideas will emerge. |
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CALIFORNIA STATE AUDITOR'S REPORT |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 12/10/2008 11:35
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CALIFORNIA STATE AUDITOR'S REPORT
October 2008
The California State Auditor's October 2008 assessment of data reliability, which includes "reporting on its programs, tracking licenses and recipients of funds, disbursing funds, and making program decisions" were still found unreliable, even though the State Auditor had already disclosed these problems in 24 audit reports issued between 2006 and 2007. |
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China to boost wages, cut taxes to spur spending |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 11/24/2008 11:23
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from MarketWatch
China to boost wages, cut taxes to spur spending
State media: Measures to lift economy could be passed early in December
By Chris Oliver, MarketWatch
Last update: 5:55 a.m. EST Nov. 24, 2008HONG KONG (MarketWatch) --
The Chinese government is poised to boost the wages of more than 50 million workers, lift the ceiling on tax-free income, and channel more funds to low-income households as part of efforts to boost domestic consumption and head off the effect of the economic downturn.
The National Development and Reform Commission is considering the measures, which could be formally unveiled during a top-level economic work group of Communist Party officials in early December, according to weekend reports by state-run media. |
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EU: Financial Aid For Automakers Rejected |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 11/24/2008 11:10
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from Stratfor.com
EU: Financial Aid For Automakers Rejected
November 24, 2008
EU Industry Commissioner Gunter Verheugen has rejected financial support for the European Union’s troubled auto industry, Deutsche-Welle reported Nov. 24, citing German radio. Verheugen said a measure is being considered to expand credit lines offered to automakers by the European Investment Bank. This measure would make sense economically, because automakers need to make big investments and meet stricter environmental standards, he added.
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GERMANY: Merkel Facing Tax Cut Demands |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 11/24/2008 11:07
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from Statfor.com
GERMANY: Merkel Facing Tax Cut Demands
November 24, 2008
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is encountering demands from colleagues in her Christian Democratic Union Party to jumpstart the economy with tax cuts, Die Welt reported Nov. 24. According to one Christian Democrat member, Merkel should curb government spending by 5 percent across the board to pay for tax cuts.
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Obama: First Moves |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 11/24/2008 11:02
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from Stratfor.com
Obama: First Moves
November 24, 2008
By George Friedman
Three weeks after the U.S. presidential election, we are getting the first signs of how President-elect Barack Obama will govern. That now goes well beyond the question of what is conventionally considered U.S. foreign policy — and thus beyond Stratfor’s domain. At this moment in history, however, in the face of the global financial crisis, U.S. domestic policy is intimately bound to foreign policy. How the United States deals with its own internal financial and economic problems will directly affect the rest of the world.
One thing the financial crisis has demonstrated is that the world is very much America-centric, in fact and not just in theory. When the United States runs into trouble, so does the rest of the globe. It follows then that the U.S. response to the problem affects the rest of the world as well. Therefore, Obama’s plans are in many ways more important to countries around the world than whatever their own governments might be planning. |
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Sacramento in Wonderland |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 11/23/2008 11:12
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COMMENTARY
Sacramento in Wonderland
By Michael Turnipseed
Executive Director
November 22, 2008
As almost everyone knows, we have entered the most challenging economic times since the 1930’s. It seems that the “Blue States” are having the most difficult time and as we all know, California is as blue as it gets.
On November 20, the State’s Legislative Analyst wrote, “The state’s struggling economy has severely reduced expected revenues. Combined with rising state expenses, we project that the state will need $27.8 billion in budget solutions over the 2008-09 and 2009-10 fiscal years. The state’s revenue collapse is so dramatic and the underlying economic factors are so weak that we forecast huge budget shortfalls through 2013-14 absent corrective action. From 2010-11 through 2013-14, we project annual shortfalls that are consistently in the range of $22 billion. Closing a projected $28 billion budget shortfall (over the next 19 months) will be a monumental task.” |
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RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO OIL SEVERANCE TAX |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 11/22/2008 04:59
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RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO OIL SEVERANCE TAX
Adopted by the Kern County Taxpayers Association Board of Directors
October 20, 2008
WHEREAS, Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed the imposition of a tax of 9.9 percent per barrel at the wellhead on crude oil produced in California in order to raise revenues to balance the State Budget; and
WHEREAS, The oil severance tax would retard investment in petroleum production with concurrent loss of direct and indirect economic activity, employment, income, income tax revenues, and sales tax revenues; and |
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Obama’s Challenge |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 11/06/2008 11:31
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from stratfor.com
Obama’s Challenge
November 5, 2008 | 1202 GMT
By George Friedman
Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States by a large majority in the Electoral College. The Democrats have dramatically increased their control of Congress, increasing the number of seats they hold in the House of Representatives and moving close to the point where — with a few Republican defections — they can have filibuster-proof control of the Senate. Given the age of some Supreme Court justices, Obama might well have the opportunity to appoint at least one and possibly two new justices. He will begin as one of the most powerful presidents in a long while.
Truly extraordinary were the celebrations held around the world upon Obama’s victory. They affirm the global expectations Obama has raised — and reveal that the United States must be more important to Europeans than the latter like to admit. (We can’t imagine late-night vigils in the United States over a French election.) |
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Political Economy and the Financial Crisis |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 11/04/2008 01:00
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2008 and the Return of the Nation-State
October 27, 2008 | 1905 GMT
By George Friedman
Related Special Topic Pages
The Russian Resurgence
Russia-Georgia War
Political Economy and the Financial Crisis
In 1989, the global system pivoted when the Soviet Union retreated from Eastern Europe and began the process of disintegration that culminated in its collapse. In 2001, the system pivoted again when al Qaeda attacked targets in the United States on Sept. 11, triggering a conflict that defined the international system until the summer of 2008. The pivot of 2008 turned on two dates, Aug. 7 and Oct. 11.
On Aug. 7, Georgian troops attacked the country’s breakaway region of South Ossetia. On Aug. 8, Russian troops responded by invading Georgia. The Western response was primarily rhetorical. On the weekend of Oct. 11, the G-7 met in Washington to plan a joint response to the global financial crisis. Rather than defining a joint plan, the decision — by default — was that each nation would act to save its own financial system with a series of broadly agreed upon guidelines.
The Aug. 7 and Oct. 11 events are connected only in their consequences. Each showed the weakness of international institutions and confirmed the primacy of the nation-state, or more precisely, the nation and the state. (A nation is a collection of people who share an ethnicity. A state is the entity that rules a piece of land. A nation-state — the foundation of the modern international order — is what is formed when the nation and state overlap.) Together, the two events posed challenges that overwhelmed the global significance of the Iraqi and Afghan wars. |
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Kern High School District Reform |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 10/08/2008 11:17
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Joel Heinrichs
KHSD Trustee
School Reform Statement
October 7, 2008
The Kern High School District (KHSD) is on the cusp of a substantial change in our graduation requirements. At the direction of the trustees, staff is developing a plan to require all students to either complete the A-G college entrance requirements or a three-course career pathway.
Why this change?
Every high school graduate should be prepared for work, additional career training, and/or college. Depending on a student’s abilities, interests, and circumstances, any one of these outcomes may constitute success.
To successfully meet this goal, however, we need to do more than just change our graduation requirements. The district’s entire organizational culture presumes that a college-prep course of study, followed by college enrollment, is “best” for all students. It is an unspoken assumption that all other options are a less desirable “alternative.” We will need to change that fundamental mindset if we are to effectively provide a full range of paths to success for our diverse student population. |
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Consolidation of Services in Metro Bakersfield |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 10/06/2008 06:30
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Comments Emailed to the Bakersfied City Council
Consolidation of Services in Metro Bakersfield
October 6, 2008
Mayor Hall and Members of the Council: I am sorry that I cannot attend Wednesday night’s Council Meeting.
After the recent joint meeting of your Council and the Board of Supervisors, it is clear that we have moved passed the era of joint power agreements in Metro Bakersfield. It was obvious that we have come to a fork in the road and quoting Yogi Berra, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." |
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