Commentary
Who doesn’t like free money? With tax revenues overflowing from a $100 billion surplus, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators “returned” $9.5 billion of that to taxpayers. The checks—really electronic transfers to bank accounts or debit cards—have been going out the last couple of weeks.
About two-thirds of California households will receive the Middle Class Tax Refund, as it’s called, worth from $200 to $1,050. What a coincidence—just before the election.
A similar program last year sent out rebates just before the Sept. 12 recall election of Newsom. Again, what a coincidence. The recall lost overwhelmingly.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley has her own additional program: Giving $100 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to 750 constituents. On Nov. 1, she even personally handed out the debit cards to those who signed up. It’s part of the ARPA money distributed to the County. ARPA was the $1.9 trillion spending plan President Biden and the Democratic Congress passed to deal with the economic problems stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic lockdowns….