So they reached a budget deal. The gap was closed entirely with cuts to essential service, schools, health care, etc. Democrats had to cave out of fear that elderly people literally would not have oxygen tanks.
And to add insult to injury, instead of paying for the oil they take from the state the oil companies receive waivers to allow them to drill offshore! In the last deficit-fix deal big corporations got a huge tax cut and now oil companies get more of our oil for free. And we will suffer more pollution of our coasts. (It’s pretty clear from deals like these who is in control of the Republican caucus. The citizens get services taken away, the big corporations get perks that increase the deficits.)
This is a Republican budget deal, entirely on their terms. Make them own it.
Here is how you make them own it: Make them vote for it.
Before any Democrat votes for this deal, every single Republican has to vote
yes. When the voting start, just sit there. Wait. And then when the Republicans have all voted, ONLY THEN should Democrats start voting, but not before.
If we are going to have
to live with a budget forced on us by Republicans and oil companies,
then the Republicans have to show up and vote for it.
A competent legislature has to match revenue with expense.
http://www.doctorhousingbubble.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ca-budget-3.png
A competent legislature also has to share the tax burden fairly so that fat cats don’t get away with tax cuts and freebies and children, the sick and the elderly aren’t the FIRST to receive the budget cuts. We always hear Republicans with their mantra of “balance the budget” but what they leave out is HOW you balance the budget. Giving breaks to fat cats doesn’t make them hire more people and taxing them doesn’t make them leave the state. I’d like the Republicans to stop putting out mythology first and then we can have a rational discussion of how to balance the needs of business with the needs of working people and those who are vulnerable.