Santa Clara County leaders are asking voters to approve Measure A, a five-eighths-cent sales tax increase on the Nov. 4 ballot, claiming more taxes are needed to support health care services. Before county officials hit hardworking residents with more taxes, voters need one simple question answered: Where is all our money going? Santa Clara County's budget exceeds $13 billion annually, more than the budgets of 19 states.
The United States government appears to be heading for a shutdown on Tuesday, as Democrats and Republicans each blame the other for the lack of a breakthrough on health care and spending. A House measure that would extend funding for federal operations for seven weeks to allow lawmakers to finish their work on annual spending is at stake. If it is not passed by the Senate before midnight (0400 Wednesday GMT), it would cause the first such shutdown in the US in almost seven years.