Commentary When I was at the Orange County Register writing unsigned editorials, from 1987 to 2016, we made sure always to oppose every local tax increase—including “bonds,” which I called “delayed tax increases,” because that’s where the money eventually comes from. Local and state governments can’t print their own money, unlike the federal government. Although we sometimes lost, especially with school bonds, we usually defeated the increased levies. Even when we lost, every local government knew it would face the gauntlet of several editorials, and likely signed columns, blasting them for assaulting the taxpayers. By contrast, the Los Angeles Times backed almost every tax increase put before it. The result is Orange County has lower taxes and is much more livable than Los Angeles. That’s confirmed by a new study (pdf) by the California Tax Foundation, titled “Local Tax Trends in California: A Survey of Ballot Measure Elections from 2010-2010.” …