So Much For Arnold's Anti-Tax Positions

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has abandoned all pretense of being an anti-tax conservative with a proposal for a massive new series of tax increases on Californians.

Schwarzenegger wants to "temporarily" raise the state sales tax by 1.5% -- which would put the sales tax at 9.25% in Orange County and even higher in Los Angeles County. I say "temporarily" as California history proves there's no such thing as a temporary sales tax.

He also wants to selectively levy sales taxes on a variety of services, including veterinarians, auto repair shops, amusement parks, and sporting events.

He completely ignores, of course, that raising taxes -- thereby reducing the money which consumers have available to spend -- never improves an economy.

I can't tell you how much this frosts me. When the economy gets rough, as it has this year, ordinary folks tighten their belts and spend less. But Heaven forbid the state government do the same.

When you combine this with the pending expiration of the "Bush tax cuts" and the other inevitable tax increases that will come with the Obama administration, along with Democrat discussions about nationalizing 401(k) retirement plans -- which if actually enacted would take millions out of the stock market and ultimately force millions of future retirees into the poorhouse -- well, the liberals, including Schwarzenegger, seem determined to push us into a Depression.

Hopefully the California Republicans in the legislature will stand firm on their anti-tax platform, or there will no longer be any point in voting for California Republicans at all.

Friday Update: Investor's Business Daily on "Putting Government First": "Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger risk devastation of the already beleaguered economies under their care by enacting massive new taxes." Noting that Arnold's plan also includes a 10% tax on oil drilling -- another business-killer -- the editorial concludes "It will be a shame if these two tycoon pols can get away with exploiting a crisis to take so much of so many other people's money."