A proposition that won’t help solve healthcare issues

A proposed ballot measure in California, Proposition 40, seeks to impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires. The author expresses strong disapproval, viewing it as a superficial solution to deep-seated healthcare issues. The proposition is presented as a response to federal cuts to Medicaid, which the author attributes to President Donald Trump's policies, describing them as "evil" and targeting vulnerable populations.

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Trump invoked government deficits, but this was really his latest attack against people he sees as losers and thus expendable, people of colour, the undocumented and especially the poor.

The author argues that Proposition 40 is a temporary measure that will not fundamentally fix healthcare or the high cost of living in California. The piece draws a parallel to Proposition 30, a supposed temporary tax increase for high earners that was extended, highlighting concerns about the long-term reliability of such tax measures. The author fears that if Proposition 40 passes, it could encourage numerous other one-time tax proposals, indicating a lack of innovative solutions.

Furthermore, the article criticizes the current generation of billionaires, contrasting them with historical industrialists who, the author claims, at least appeared to support societal betterment through philanthropy. The current generation is characterized by "avarice," support for figures like Trump, and indifference to the struggles of ordinary people, making them "a deserved scapegoat."

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It’s a temporary stopgap that doesn’t reverse Trump’s Medicaid cuts and won’t solve the fundamental problems facing healthcare, or all the other things that make life in California so expensive.

The author also directs criticism at supporters of Proposition 40, arguing that the state's reliance on the wealthiest 1% for a significant portion of its income taxes makes it vulnerable. The analogy of a "goose that keeps laying golden, taxable eggs" is used to illustrate the potential for backlash when this "goose" is overtaxed, leading billionaires to fund opposition to progressive candidates.

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But relying on new taxes, or strengthening old ones, only shows that people are out of ideas, a dangerous scenario for democracy.

Finally, the article faults opponents of Proposition 40 for their weak arguments, particularly their reliance on other ballot initiatives to neutralize the proposition. The author notes that the opponents' argument about alienating billionaires is not a convincing counterpoint.

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Their avarice, their gleeful supplication before a tyrant like Trump, their obsession with breaking things and not caring about the consequences and their indifference to how the rest of us live have made billionaires a deserved scapegoat, about as popular as a diaper rash.