Argument for
By Suzanne Jimenez, Chief of Staff, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West; Victoria Barron, Patient Access Specialist, Planned Parenthood of Pacific Southwest; Denise Robb, Ph.D., Member of American Federation of Teachers, Local 1521, Los Angeles College Faculty Guild
Loaded LanguageBlack-and-White FallacyScapegoatingAppeal to FearName CallingBandwagon AppealCard Stacking
YES ON PROP. 40 TO TAX BILLIONAIRES
Trump’s “Big, Ugly Bill” slashed funding for healthcare in California to pay for more billionaire tax breaks, eliminating coverage for over a million Californians and doubling health insurance premiums for millions more. Vote YES on Prop. 40 to make billionaires finally pay their fair share in taxes and stop sticking the middle class with the bill.
Loaded Language · “Big, Ugly Bill”, “slashed funding”, “stop sticking the middle class with the bill”, “finally pay their fair share” — Emotionally charged wording like 'slashed' and 'Big, Ugly Bill' frames the legislation negatively rather than neutrally.
FUND HEALTHCARE, NOT BILLIONAIRE TAX BREAKS
Black-and-White Fallacy · “FUND HEALTHCARE, NOT BILLIONAIRE TAX BREAKS” — Presents funding healthcare and billionaire tax breaks as the only two mutually exclusive options, ignoring other budget choices.
Prop. 40 makes approximately 200 California billionaires pay a modest, one-time tax on their global wealth to keep local hospitals and ERs open and healthcare affordable for millions of Californians.
It will raise about $100 billion to replace the funding Trump and his billionaire donors took from working people to line their pockets. The funds will go to life-saving medical care for seniors, veterans, and families. It will allow millions of Californians to keep their health insurance and not see their premiums skyrocket. It will prevent mass teacher layoffs in our public schools and keep children fed through food assistance programs.
Loaded Language · “took from working people to line their pockets”, “life-saving medical care”, “not see their premiums skyrocket” — Frames funding cuts as theft to enrich donors using emotionally charged wording.
Scapegoating · “Trump and his billionaire donors took from working people” — Blames Trump and 'his billionaire donors' as a group for taking funds from working people, a broad framing based on group membership.
Appeal to Fear · “prevent mass teacher layoffs in our public schools and keep children fed” — Evokes the threat of mass layoffs and hungry children to build support.
BILLIONAIRES SHOULD PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE
You pay your taxes out of every paycheck, but billionaires pay much lower rates than working families. They insist on paying less, even as they get bigger and bigger tax breaks.
Prop. 40 enacts a one-time tax paid ONLY by Californians worth more than $1 billion, a small group of people who together hold $2 trillion in wealth—most of which will never be taxed due to loopholes that favor the ultra-wealthy.
Billionaires amassed their extreme wealth on the backs of the middle class, and we have a chance to make them pay their fair share so WE aren’t stuck paying more for healthcare.
Scapegoating · “Billionaires amassed their extreme wealth on the backs of the middle class” — Blames billionaires as a class for the middle class's broad financial and healthcare burdens, based on group membership rather than specific actions.
Loaded Language · “on the backs of the middle class”, “extreme wealth” — Emotionally charged phrasing frames wealth as exploitation and sets up an us-versus-them reaction.
BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTS PROP. 40
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders strongly supports voting YES on Prop. 40, even if some politicians in Sacramento are protecting billionaires over working people.
Loaded Language · “protecting billionaires over working people” — Framing opponents as 'protecting billionaires over working people' uses emotionally charged us-versus-them language rather than facts.
“The idea that [billionaires] are saying it’s ok for children to die, for people not to get the healthcare they need, that they’re going to punish the people of California—it’s outrageous.” —U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
DON’T BELIEVE THE BILLIONAIRES’ LIES
Loaded Language · “BILLIONAIRES’ LIES” — The word 'LIES' is emotionally charged and casts billionaires as deceivers without presenting any specific facts.
Name Calling · “THE BILLIONAIRES’ LIES” — Labels an entire group (billionaires) as liars to discredit them rather than addressing any specific argument.
A small group of morally bankrupt billionaires is spreading lies about Prop. 40, because they want working people to foot the bill for their tax breaks.
Loaded Language · “morally bankrupt billionaires”, “spreading lies” — Emotionally charged moral condemnation ('morally bankrupt', 'spreading lies') is used instead of addressing the arguments.
Name Calling · “morally bankrupt billionaires” — Derogatory labeling of opponents as 'morally bankrupt' liars discredits them rather than rebutting their claims.
Google founder and Trump donor Sergey Brin’s wealth has DOUBLED to nearly $300 billion since Trump’s election. Now he’s spent over $57 million to oppose Prop. 40. He’d rather millions of Californians lose healthcare than pay his fair share in taxes.
Loaded Language · “DOUBLED”, “He’d rather millions of Californians lose healthcare than pay his fair share in taxes” — Capitalised 'DOUBLED' is used for emotional emphasis on wealth growth rather than neutral reporting.
Black-and-White Fallacy · “He’d rather millions of Californians lose healthcare than pay his fair share in taxes” — Presents the issue as a binary between people losing healthcare or him paying taxes, ignoring other motives or options.
Billionaires like Brin have bought and paid for some corrupt politicians and organizational leaders to also oppose Prop. 40—but actual teachers, Planned Parenthood workers, nurses, and union members support it. Those opposing Prop. 40 have not put forth any viable solution to replacing the funding Trump took from us.
Loaded Language · “bought and paid for some corrupt politicians” — Emotionally charged accusation of bought, corrupt politicians is used to discredit opponents.
Bandwagon Appeal · “actual teachers, Planned Parenthood workers, nurses, and union members support it” — Suggests the measure is right because groups of ordinary, respected people support it.
Card Stacking · “have not put forth any viable solution to replacing the funding Trump took from us” — Dismisses all opponents as having no viable solution, ignoring any counterarguments.
Of course these billionaires and their puppets don’t want a billionaire tax, but you should—because someone has to pay, and working people are already paying enough for healthcare.
Name Calling · “their puppets” — Labels opponents of the tax as 'puppets' of billionaires to discredit them rather than answering their arguments.
Black-and-White Fallacy · “someone has to pay, and working people are already paying enough for healthcare” — Frames funding as only 'someone has to pay' with either billionaires or working people paying, ignoring other options.
SAVE LIVES. TAX BILLIONAIRES.
Black-and-White Fallacy · “TAX BILLIONAIRES.” — Pairs 'save lives' with taxing billionaires as if taxing them were the only way to save lives, which implies a binary choice.
From voterguide.sos.ca.gov, the official voter guide.