San Francisco’s illogical progressive politics buried in the Obama’s stimulus package

February 6, 6:40 AMSF Politics ExaminerArthur Bruzzone

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While President Obama gives the nation a healthy dose of San Francisco’s stylistic “progressive” politics, this city is pushing the limits--- proposing higher taxes on the city’s businesses. 

New burdens on the city’s job creators, when the city is losing jobs:  Classic progressive logic.

It’s only appropriate that several members of the city’s governing council, the Board of Supervisors and its “progressive” members, with little or no business background, born and bred within the bureaucracy, show the dangers of idealized, uninformed governance. 

Without care for consequences, and as the nation will learn through Obama progressivism, carrying out questionable social justice programs is very expensive, economically depressing, and ineffective.

Faced with a fiscal catastrophe – a current budget deficit in San Francisco of over $576 million --- the Board voted to ask voters for new or increased taxes on business to finance bureaucracy-heavy social programs.  

Here’s the lineup:   Increase in payroll tax from 1.5% to 1.7%, a .5% increase in the sales tax, a gross receipts tax of .1% on businesses with $2 million or more of gross receipts,  a tax of about 1.4% on rents paid to commercial property owners, and finally, a carbon tax!

Add to these proposed taxes previously mandated sick leave, mandated health care, and the highest minimum wage in the country. 

San Francisco’s office buildings are emptying.  Condo developers are slashing prices monthly, since like the city's office space, hundreds of high rise condos are dark and vacant.

Wealth redistribution is nothing new to San Francisco.  Now the nation will learn how feel good programs soak the life out of small business, entrepreneurs, and growing firms, through taxes.  The ‘moral imperative’ failed during the Great Society era, and is failing again here. 

Ask any tourist about the city’s condition, about the rampant violent crime, homelessness, and open drug use on San Francisco streets, demoralized law enforcement, and limp criminal justice system.

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors proves, that as the city’s fiscal ship sinks and lists to its side, progressives will be so ignorant as to tax their businesses, who hire the workers, who need the salaries to pay their bills, and face layoffs as taxes and mandates increase.

Then again, what do expect from lifetime bureaucrats-turned-leaders, or community organizers, who’ve never met a payroll, or paid payroll taxes.