What Does the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Stand For Anymore!?

Meg Whitman publicly endorsed Barbara Boxer and maxed out to her in 2004. But the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association can only point to Steve Poizner’s Assembly campaign.

Steve was a Republican, Meg was not. Steve voted for himself in the Primary in 2004 – Meg didn’t vote for anybody. She didn’t vote in 2003’s recall election, either.

Howard Jarvis did. They endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Arnold ripped off Tom McClintock’s ideas to roll back the tripling of the car tax and worker’s comp reform. How many of us remember what Jon Coupal of Howard Jarvis said in 2003:

Jon Coupal, a leader of the Jarvis group that spearheaded the
property tax rebellion of 1978, called McClintock a “100 percenter”
who is “second to none on tax issues.”

But Schwarzenegger’s celebrity will command a stage for tax-cutting, Coupal said.

It’s 2010 – the Car tax was just doubled and Work Comp rates are starting to creep up. There go Arnold’s two conservative achievements in seven years out the window. Heck, Arnold even threw in a 1% sales tax increase. (Great call Jarvis)

Today, celebrity means dismal approval ratings never seen before in state history.

Since When does the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s association support the Water Bond coming in the fall? Whitman does? Is Jarvis going to sign on to that?

Since when is a candidate who says the State of California, “Cannot afford across the board tax cuts” a Jarvis candidate!? Whitman even said “we shouldn’t raise taxes right now” in an SF Chron interview… (what happens later?)

Does Howard Jarvis value the Delta Smelt more than the farmers of the Southern Central Valley? When my produce this year is imported and expensive, I will be thinking about the $300,000 that Whitman gave to the Environmental Defense Fund. Jerry Brown would be proud, I wonder if Howard himself would be?

Jarvis clings to an education initiative Poizner supported in 2000 that made school bonds easier. In 2000, Whitman wasn’t even registered to vote. In 2002 – Meg Whitman knifed Tom McClintock a year before Howard Jarvis did. Whitman finally registered to vote after a long hiatus to support Steve Westley for Controller – whose signature issue was taxing the internet. Jarvis?

Whitman even supported the abuse of eminent domain to keep development out of her Mansion’s back yard. Jerry Brown would be proud – I look at our atniquated freeway system in California and think back to the 1970’s when Jerry Brown’s anti-growth policies sabotaged our freeway system when matching federal funds were available.

Whitman was busy “protecting” her ranch in Telluride, Colorado – one of the ten most expensive areas in the Country for Real Estate. $1million later – a developer lost his land as a result of a successful environmental movement Whitman funded.

Time and again, we are treated to a lecture about Poizner’s imprefection. Yet Whitman is judged on her intentions, as opposed to Poizner’s actions. This is the only way you can accomodate the moral compromise necessary to call yourself a taxpayer advocate and make such an endorsement.

Whitman leaves no stone unturned – looking back to the early 1990’s when Whitman admits and everyone else has proven that she was not registered nor voting – Meg Whitman praised the then-largest tax increase in State history (by then Governor Pete Wilson) as being appropriate at the time.

And Jarvis endorsed her.

Even today – Whitman thinks that Senator Abel Maldonado, the key swing vote in the now largest tax increase in state history – should be confirmed as Lt. Governor.

And the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Endorsed her. Man, do I feel violated.

P.S. I forgot to mention Van Jones.