I would think an EconProf would be proud that CA wasn’t afraid to implement an unpopular pigovian tax on gas. I want it to be even higher personally so people switch to less polluting transport, and we stop the awful arms race of bigger and bigger vehicles to see over and feel safe around the other bigger and bigger vehicles.
Our income tax on the other hand I would like to see cut. May happen given how big the surplus is, $70 billion!
What specific “lavish welfare” program is it you think California has? California was late to mostly abolish its state cash welfare program, called general assistance. But in nearly every county it is gone, and it wasn’t lavish.
The main welfare programs in the USA right now are medicaid and SSDI/SSI, which are mostly and entirely federal funding.
