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From time immemorial the government has tried to influence our behavior by rewarding or punishing us; big brother doesnt want us to smoke, so lawmakers tax the bejesus out of tobacco, they want us to drive electric cars, so we get showered with tax rebates and invitations into the cherished carpool lane if we go green at the car dealership, and they dont want us to linger too long at the curbside check-in at the airport, so the Dunkin Donuts is conveniently located beyond the TSA checkpoint inside the terminal.

Its the classic carrot and stick approach, that manipulates people into doing what the powers that be want.

The most famous plum from the tax man is probably the home mortgage deduction. The theory behind this perk is that people become stakeholders in society when they have skin in the game. Johnny lunch bucket is much more likely to care about the condition of the roads, schools and environment in his community if it directly affects the value of his property and the quality of life for him and his family.

Unfortunately, the tide has turned and mullets are now more en vogue than encouraging middle-class home ownership, at least in California.

On a 27-11 party-line vote the California Senate just approved Senate Bill 2, which would add a $75 fee to most real estate documents. This fee would apply to developers building new units, banks foreclosing, and people refinancing their homes, among others. Experts estimate that it would result in $1 billion in new revenue for Sacramento which they would use on, drum roll please ... low-income housing!

SB2s author, Democratic Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, told Capital Public Radio, This is a subsidy to help provide housing which then people will be able to remain in California our kids, our grandkids, the people who work in our fields, the people who work in grocery stores.

Uh, yea, its certainly a sweet deal for those who want the taxpayers of the state of California to be their sugar daddy, but if youre one of those suckers who pays their own bills, it makes you want to move to Nevada.

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Sacramento is literally incentivizing poverty at the expense of middle-class homeowners.

After voting no on the bill, Republican Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Temecula, predicted that it would stifle real estate investment in the state of California and further place pressure on higher, not lower, real estate prices.

Weve gone from Herbert Hoover running on the platform of a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage to California Democrats promising a tenement above every 7-11.

Maybe Im just old-fashioned, but I refuse to live that close to bullet-proof glass.

Immediately after lecturing us about the need for more low-income housing, the state Senate also passed Senate Bill 106, which would allow Marin County to bypass Californias affordable housing laws.

Marin County, if youre wondering, is a deeply blue enclave north of San Francisco that sends Democrats to represent them in the state Legislature and voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a 77-15 percent margin.

In other words, theyre fine with poor people living on the taxpayers dime, just as long as its nowhere near them.

Unfortunately, none of these hypocrisies were brought up before the vote because the legislative leadership tied the bill to the state budget, which means it never had to go through the traditional committee process.

This is what happens in a one-party state where ruling Democrats operate more like a cartel than participants in a representative democracy.

John Phillips is a CNN political commentator and can be heard weekdays at 3 p.m. on The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips on KABC/AM 790.

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Democrats' hypocrisy on low-income housing - LA Daily News