USA Today reports some of California's biggest cities are ranked last in literacy, according to a recent study by Central Connecticut State University.

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The Pasadena Unified School District recently placed campaign signs in its schools to promote a school tax which will appear on the upcoming ballot. A local blogger shined light on this practice and HJTA warned a lawsuit would be filed if the school district continued to use school property for campaign purposes. The school district promptly backed down and removed the signs.

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The American Tax Reduction Movement (ATRM) was founded by Howard Jarvis to develop and promote public policies advocating the reduction of property taxes throughout the United States. ATRM's goals are to educate the public and to support similar state groups on subjects useful to the individual and beneficial to the community, with the particular emphasis on the benefits of property tax reduction.  Read more >>

Executive Summary  Read more >>

In our Republic, there are -- or are supposed to be -- fairly well defined lines of government authority. At an early age, our children are taught that there are three branches of government and that, under our system of federalism, the states share political power with the national government.  Read more >>

A horrible crisis has gripped the California education establishment. Lower test scores? Higher drop out rates? Fewer kids going on to college? Far worse than that. The disaster is that there are fewer kids to teach. A report from the California Legislative Analyst shows K-12 enrollment will drop next year by more than 6,000 students, a trend that is predicted to continue through the end of the decade.  Read more >>

If David and Goliath were alive today, they would likely take time out from their battle to cast a ballot against Proposition 88. So, too, would the feuding Hatfields and McCoys. Such is the diversity and unanimity of opposition to this ill-conceived tax increase.  Read more >>

Prop. 88's statewide parcel tax would begin to chip away at California's property-tax protections.  Read more >>

The world's second richest man, Warren Buffett, is in the news again. This time for donating a huge chunk of his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, whose founders are the only people who, until the creation of their foundation, outranked Buffett in wealth.

Commonly referred to as "The Oracle of Omaha" for his stock-picking sagacity, Buffett's every move is closely followed by the investment community. But the last time he made news this big it was for suggesting that California taxpayers should donate more to government.  Read more >>

A new study shows that governments at all levels have seen a net increase in revenue since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. Read the executive summary and then download the complete report.  Read more >>