Editor, Manteca Bulletin

I read with some interest the letter, “Prudent management of tax dollars...,” in Tuesday’s paper, in which the writer blames Governor Brown and the Democrats for all that is wrong with the state’s fiscal situation.

After referring to the website usgovernmentspending.com, I found that, in fact, California’s debt and spending have increased every single year, under every governor and political party, until Governor Brown took office.

Under Republican Governor Wilson, ‘91-’99, the debt grew from $114 billion to $168.3 billion.  Under Democrat  Davis, “’99-’03, the debt grew from $168.8 billion to $246.9 billion.  Under Republican Governor Schwarzenegger, ‘03-’11, the debt grew from $246.9 billion to $402.9 billion.  Under Governor Brown, the debt dropped from $402.9 billion to $378.9 billion, and usgovernmentspending.com projects spending to continue to drop for a few more years under Governor Brown.

So, the writer’s claim that “the problem started with the election of the governor and the legislatures..” is completely erroneous.  We are all entitled to our own opinions, but we are not entitled to our own facts.

Governor Brown’s proposal to temporarily raise the sales tax by one quarter of one percent, and increase taxes on those making more than $250,000 per year sounds like a good idea to me.  I have worked for people who made that much money and more per year, and believe me, they can afford it.  I think that we can all make a small sacrifice in order to get the State out of the mess it has gotten into under the leadership of every governor in recent history, whether they were Republican or Democrat.

Stephen Breacain
Manteca
May 22, 2012