As we face this state budget crisis, we would like to remind people that it didn’t have to be this way. The Democrats in California’s legislature tried to do the responsible thing to keep the state running and head this off, and passed a good budget in January. The Republicans and the Governor instead wanted to create a crisis and force the state into bankruptcy.
From January, Schwarzenegger vetoes budget bills,
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this afternoon vetoed the Democratic plan to reduce the budget deficit by $18 billion and will urge lawmakers to use his January proposal as a template for implementing midyear cuts…
The move forces leaders to start over in their efforts to close a budget deficit estimated at $40 billion over the next 18 months. It jettisons — for now — what Democrats hailed as “the only game in town” — because it included tax increases approved without Republican votes.
Schwarzenegger rejects latest budget proposal,
Democratic leaders sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger an $18 billion deficit-cutting package on Tuesday, a plan he quickly vetoed as anti-tax groups filed a lawsuit to stop it.
The activity came amid the Legislature’s third special session since the November election to deal with California’s worsening budget deficit, projected at $42 billion over the next 18 months.
For some reason, it has been forgotten that this budget would have solved this problem and avoided the May 19 election and resulting chaos. But the anti-tax extremists blocked it because they don’t want government to work, they want it to shut down. It is a strategy they are following because it keeps their base active and brings them corporate donations. They do not believe in government, they have said so, and they have all signed a pledge to that effect.
The Democrats should be strategic as well as responsible and pass this budget again. This time if the Governor vetoes it or the anti-tax extremists take it to court they will be doing so while people’s own schools are forced to lay of teachers, and their own police departments are being forced to reduce patrols. It won’t be hypothetical, it will be happening in their neighborhoods and their cities. The public will be able to see for themselves who is trying to keep the state running, who is trying to keep their schools open, and who is trying to shut the state down. And if it goes to court they will be forced to ask why we do not have majority rule in California, how there can be a law allowing a small number of extremists to block everything.
That’s very interesting. I had forgotten about that. Hopefully they will dust it out and retrofit it.
If it is brought back I would expect that the republicans would get on board and try to make deeper cuts.
Good observation!
I never realized that the 2/3 rule is not enforced by the legislature itself. Any governor with a brain, a heart, and some courage would have signed the budget and said… “Go ahead, sue me!”
It would be interesting to see what the courts would make of the 2/3 rule. Has it been challenged before?
In the meantime, we should trumpet the idea that the Dems did passed a responsible budget, and that it was turned down by coercion from the right-wing minority.
Interesting that you don’t provide insight as to why we are losing 60,000 jobs per month, the highest in the nation and we do not have the large auto industry. Does it ever occur to you all that the nonsense environmental restrictions imposed on our businesses may be causing them do leave the state in droves, i.e. the BRAC closing of military bases particularly in the liberal part of the state caused significant job losses. Do you really think Arnold should have been kissing up to Obamam about global warming stuff instead of trying to work with industry to keep it here in light of the fact that we all know China and India are not going to do global warming energy savings.
Alan,
We are losing 60,000 jobs a month because the Republicans destroyed the economy. Simple answers to simple questions.
Businesses are not leaving the state, they are laying people off because of the slowdown. It is not because of efforts to protect the environment, it is because of the Republican policies that passed all the income to a top few, left people without raises, in debt, and moved jobs out of the country.
As foir closing military bases, we need to cut government spending where it is unnecessary. Even with the base closings we still spend more on military than all the rest of the countries in the world – combined.
Alan,
Dave’s solutions revolve around electing Democrats and raising taxes. His logic is simple. The government is short of revenue,ergo raise taxes.
He could not quite grasp that nearly 2 of 3 Californians said ‘No thanks’ in the latest vote.
Before you can solve a problem you have to define the problem. Dave’s deep problem definition is “Republicans are bad”. And CA proves the powerful insidious Republican conspiracy exists. The Republicans are not in power in the CA assembly and yet, as a shadow power, they have been able to cause the Democrats to spend more money than tax receipts.
Remember, the key to recovery is vilification of opposing parties.
OT: Obama assured that nice talk would work. He needs to get on the hotline ASAP and cancel some campaign stops.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/world/asia/26nuke.html?_r=1&hp
Polling showed that the voters rejected this because it was an obvious gimmick. The polling also showed that voters want real solutions, including taxes instead of spending cuts.
I’ll be writing about this polling and the real reasons that the propositions failed tomorrow.
Paul Krugman most comfort you. Similar script. Blame the Republicans.
Krugman and I see CA as the canary in the well for the nation. But it is so lame and stereotypical to blame the party out of party for the overspending of the CA assembly. As George Will and your Assemblymen/women point out, if CA increased spending not greater than inflation, you would not be in trouble.
CA is the future until my fellow baby boomers get rid of 100% of consumer debt, save 12 months of income (thus recapitalizing the banks without Treasury), and look to family and neighborhood before Washington.
CA comes now to Washington as a mendicant, hand extended, faithful member of the order of tax from others, spend more….
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/opinion/25krugman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
From 1930 to 1942 the stock market had three 20% BULL markets and three 20-25% BEAR markets resulting in stocks DOWN 42% from ’38 to ’42. Hunker down and cut spending fast so you can start saving.
The Democratic budget included plenty of cuts. It was a combination of cuts and revenue increases, which is the only way we are going to get out of this mess. Everything that cuts income of poor and middle class people is going to worsen the economy, because those people spend everything they make right here in this state. When they lose income, they stop purchasing, and other people lose their jobs. When people don’t have jobs, they don’t pay taxes. You can cut everything in the state, fire everyone, close down the universities, and it will barely make a dent, and everything will get much worse.
I have a small business — 20 employees. We make signs for schools and other public buildings. When the construction jobs were frozen, we lost about a third or more of our contracts. Now, we fear that it will get worse, that the contracts we do have won’t be worth the paper they’re written on. We have put everyone on short hours and lowered our own salaries to $10 an hour. That means that none of us can purchase what we are used to buying. Our business is not buying new computers, new printers, etc. We’re using all our paper on two sides and being more careful with office supplies, etc. Our actions are putting others out of work!
For those of you who see simple minded solutions — fire people, send everyone back to Mexico (all our workers are citizens or legal residents), shut down government, spend a little time reading, thinking, understanding. You’d be amazed at how rational thought and action clears things up!