The Rogue Five: Courageous

Over the past months we have been watching those who live in the Mideast and North Africa protest in an effort to obtain the vote. In Egypt, after 18 days of protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square, to avoid bloodshed President Hosni Mubarak stepped down from the position he had held for nearly 30 years. In Libya, dictator since a 1969 military coup Muammar Gaddafi (aka Moammar Gadhafi) chose bloodshed and NATO commenced its missile bombardment. Meanwhile, in California a battle continues over whether to allow the people to vote whether to continue the current state rates for income, sales and vehicle registration taxes or receive reduced state services like education of our children and security on our streets.

Through a majority legislative vote, California could continue the current tax rates, but Governor Brown chose to allow the people to decide whether to continue the current rates in a statewide vote. To have a vote, two-thirds of the state senate and two-thirds of the state assembly must approve placing this issue on the ballot. In an effort to meet the two-thirds requirement, the governor has been speaking with a handful of Republicans who are standing up to right-wing threats and meeting with the governor. Conservative Republican spokesmen have labeled the Republicans who are speaking with the Governor as the "Rogue Five." According to the Los Angeles Times, right-wing Republicans are threatening "the political death penalty for any GOP lawmaker who compromises with Brown and dares vote to call a special election on taxes." Republican spokesman Jon Fleischman urges Republicans "to stand in solidarity with overtaxed Californians, and to stop offering to place higher taxes on the ballot."

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