Posted on 07/20/2009 8:47:40 PM PDT by Mariner
If you are a California Resident, let the state party know that you won't give them ANY money or votes if any member of the party votes to endorse the reported $4bil in additional "Revenue Enhancements" to "balance" the budget.
No money, no votes.
info@cagop.org
info@cagop.org
Jim: WOuld you endorse this one? We could use some help.
Petition for a part-time legislature. Throw the bums out!
I will also let them know that I will campaign AGAINST the ENTIRE California Republican Party if even ONE Republican votes for it.
I’m dead serious. Presently I’m an effective activist against the left. But so help me God, if Republicans can’t find unity against what is happening now then they NEVER will and me and mine will actively work to dismount them from their undeserved offices.
They do us grave harm by betraying the Party fundamentals.
I’m done with the BS. Either we’re a party with similar values, or all of them can GO POUND SAND!
They can go form their own third-party or something equally as useless.
Youy MUST contact the party and let them know.
I hope that CA voters adhere to this. It was the people voted into office that got them into this mess, the absence of them should get them out of it.
Question: What was the $ amount of last year’s budget, and what is the $ amount of this year’s budget?
Last year’s $ number minus this year’s $ number = $ amount of cuts.
If anybody has the straightforward answer to the above straightforward question, I would appreciate it.
Thanks in advance.
The difference is OVER $30bil.
From a Daily KOS Moron who claims to be a legislative staffer in Sacramento:
(Mind you, this IS from KOS, but it’s got more detail than anything I’ve seen, so far!)
$15 billion in cuts, no new taxes, $11 billion in gimmicks and borrowing
$4-5 billion in local government raids
only an $800 million reserve (initially the talks were for a $4 billion one)
$6 billion in reductions to public schools, but an $11 billion dollar payment somewhere down the road though not in writing
yes, there’s new offshore drilling in this deal, going around the Lands Commission, and without an oil severance tax for the producers
$1 billion assumed for the sale of the State Compensation Insurance Fund, which is not only unlikely but would really crush small businesses if sold
no suspension of Prop. 98
basically a reinvention of state government, more austere, and precisely when folks need the opposite.
...three furlough days a month for some state employees still in place for the rest of the year
$500 million in cuts to Cal Works
smiles all around from Dem leg. leaders as they cheer that “we did not eliminate the safety net for California.” Poking a big hole in it, apparently, qualifies as A-OK.
...we’re also cutting $1.2 billion to corrections without releasing any prisoners, as per the actual politics as usual. The only way you can do that is by cutting every treatment or rehabilitation program in the prisons, or eliminating overtime for corrections officers. In other words, we’re turning prisons into Public Storage units.
$100 mil in money for Santa Barbara coast oil drilling project known as Tranquillon Ridge, say legis staff #cabudget
Legis staff: reforms to in-home health svcs (IHSS) incl. backgrnd checks for providers, fingerprinting of workers and most clients.#cabudget
Legis staff says much maligned Integrated Waste Mgmt Bd will be eliminated in January, a key issue of Guv.
Guv given OK in deficit deal to sell Orange County Fairgrounds, say legislative staff. No other “biggies” that were suggested.
Legis staff say some state parks will close, but 88% of funding restored. Says Guv’s admin will choose which close, $8 mil savings#cabudget
Total local govt: abt $4.3 B. Borrow thru Prop 1A for $2 B, two year emergency gas tax taking of $1B each year, $1.3 B from redevlp agencies#cabudget
The GOP must oppose it. If it passes and the economy of CA keeps dropping as businesses and the employed leave, well thats their problem.
But what are the $ numbers of the budgets for the two years ?
California Budget Deal Closes $26 Billion Gap
*******************************EXCERPT****************************
Under the plan, state lawmakers would cut $15 billion in spending. The rest of the gap would be filled by taking funds from local governments and through one-time fixes and accounting maneuvers. The deal must still be approved by rank-and-file legislators, who are expected to vote on it Thursday.
This is a win for the Gov and the GOP in most books.
They got the unions and cronies of Speaker Bass to spend Millions on ads, and they got almost nothing to show for their $$.
Some of the math looks a little goofy, like the insurance deal, but any Dems that try to claim victory are rewriting recent history as they were calling for $26B in tax increases just a few weeks ago. Some of them were targeting a number closer to $30B to allow for future ‘safety nets’. SEIU and the Teachers Union literally spent millions fighting for tax increases - the GOP held firm.
Social welfare programs are taking the brunt of the budget cuts, and everyone in Sacramento basically knows that the only way to make the system work is to start actually enforcing against fraud and illegals.
Is it perfect ... Gosh no.
Did the GOP get most of what they were asking for? Actually yes.
Did the Dems get much of what they wanted when this all started? Almost nothing.
Opposing a deal when you have beaten down the majority and won the popular backing of the people of the state spells political disaster for the GOP in CA and financial disaster for the state if they have to start from scratch on a budget deal.
Seriously - what do you want or expect?
What is ‘acceptable’?
Refusing to raise corporate and income taxes as the Dems wanted to do will do more to preserve jobs in CA than just about anything the Gov or the GOP in this state have done in years.
From the overview I read, it doesn’t sound so bad, considering the situation and the makeup of our Assembly. What specifically do you oppose in what’s come out about this deal so far? There are no taxes and no tax increases that have been disclosed yet.
There is new revenue from allowing oil drilling off Sta Barbara. There is potential new revenue from selling some state-owned land and facilities. There is some cash-flow improvement by collecting certain taxes earlier.
From the link on Drudge:
Some details emerged as the leaders prepared to brief their fellow lawmakers:
SPENDING CUTS
— $6 billion from K-12 schools and community colleges over a two-year span.
— Nearly $3 billion from the University of California and California State University systems.
— $1.3 billion from Medi-Cal, the state’s health care program for the poor. Also includes a proposal to bill the federal government for more money.
— Saves $1.3 billion by retaining three unpaid furlough days per month for state workers.
— Includes $1.2 billion in unallocated cuts to the state Department of Corrections. Does not include Schwarzenegger’s proposal to release some inmates early.
— Cuts $528 million from CalWORKS, the state’s welfare-to-work program, partly by increasing sanctions for families that fail to meet work requirements. Schwarzenegger had proposed eliminating the program entirely.
— Cuts $124 million from Healthy Families, a program that provides health insurance for 930,000 low-income children. Lawmakers hope nonprofits, foundations and other groups can fill in some of the losses.
— Cuts $226 million from the state’s in-home supportive services program for the frail and disabled. Also includes Schwarzenegger’s plans to require fingerprinting of caregivers and recipients, and would require caregivers to undergo background checks.
— Cuts about $8 million from state parks, allowing the majority of state parks, beaches and attractions to stay open. Some parks are likely to close, however, based on popularity and use.
OTHER MEASURES
— Borrows about $2 billion from local governments’ property tax revenue, money that would have to be repaid with interest in three years. As a concession to angry local officials, the deal would prioritize repayment of the so-called Proposition 1A money after schools and bond holders are paid.
— Takes $1 billion in redevelopment money from local governments.
— Takes $1 billion in transportation funding from local governments.
— Speeds up collection of 2010 personal income and corporate taxes to bring in revenue earlier than anticipated.
— Sells off part of the State Compensation Insurance Fund, which the administration values at $1 billion. The fund is a quasi-governmental agency that is the state’s largest writer of workers’ compensation insurance
— Allows limited expansion of oil drilling off the Santa Barbara coast, bringing in $100 million in the current fiscal year.
— Eliminates the Integrated Waste Management Board and the Board of Geologists and Geophysicists, which Schwarzenegger had targeted as wasteful and unnecessary.
— Gives school districts the option of cutting the school year by five days.
— Defers state employee paychecks by one day for a paper savings of $1.2 billion, which has been criticized by some as a gimmick. Instead of being issued on June 30, 2010, the paychecks would be issued on July 1, the start of the 2010-11 fiscal year.
— Gives the governor authority to pursue the sale of about 10 state-owned buildings as a potential revenue source in future years, including the Orange County Fairgrounds, the Public Utilities Commission Building in San Francisco and the Ronald Reagan State Office Building in Los Angeles.
— Rejects Schwarzenegger’s proposal for a surcharge on homeowner insurance policies to boost funding for emergency services. The surcharge would have averaged about $48 a year per homeowner.
Oakland just extended city parking ordinance to 8pm, with fines for expired meter to $55. That's a real encouragement for after work shopping and dining.
California needs to just go bankrupt
ORANGE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS is that idiot out of his mind???
This is the most outrageous thing I've ever heard. The State is raiding local coffers and giving them notes which they cannot spend to buy services. This should be flat-out ILLEGAL. Keep government local. Don't feed the Sacto beast.
The is very similar to the initiative that was going to borrow against future lottery revenues and spend the money today. Luckily that got voted down.
Thanks for the link. I read through it and it’s all meaningless. Isn’t it amazing the way the scumbag politicians and their press allies hide the actual numbers? I tried Google and got nowhere.
My question should be easily answered and yet after posting it on three different threads, nobody knows (probably because trying to Google for the numbers is useless):
1) What is the total $ number of California’s budget this year?, and
2) What was the total $ number of California’s budget last year?
Do the subtraction, get the actual $ number of cuts.
This should be basic, readily available information, yet it’s not (probably because they don’t WANT anybody doing simple arithmetic). It’s pathetic.
—”Revenue Enhancements”
—Oakland just extended city parking ordinance to 8pm, with fines for expired meter to $55. That’s a real encouragement for after work shopping and dining.
+++++++++++++++
Taxes are so often counter-productive and bring about the opposite of what the taxing bozos want/expect. This is the insanity we’re trying to hold the line on...
If you do some sleuthing you can find the info. Assemblyman Chuck DeVore is all over the budget issue — he’s on our side — and he said that over the past two years California has seen some true cuts. Revenue this year will be about $82 billion; two years ago it was above $100 billion. So even with $4 billion in revenue enhancements there will still have been some very serious reductions in expenditures, not the “cuts” that Democrats like to claim.
Isn’t it amazing all the numbers these scumbag politicians put out? And yet the most basic ones:
1) What is the total $ number of California’s budget this year?, and
2) What was the total $ number of California’s budget last year?
...cannot be found.
Sorry to point this out, but the legislators good and bad, don’t check in with the CRP before voting. The State Party has very little clout in that area.
Offshore oil drilling solves problems
San Francisco Chronicle | 7/21/9 | Debra J. Saunders
Posted on 07/21/2009 7:34:22 AM PDT by SmithL
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2297453/posts
You should have been campaigning against the entire California GOP all along. This is certainly nothing new out of them.
Those of us who live here may disagree ...
heh... wascally wiberwals
This post is analogous to saying, “That Colonel made a stupid decision, so let’s cut the funding to the military across the board!”
We have some of the finest conservatives in the nation in our state legislature, and they have been fighting as hard as they can for fiscal sanity – but they are in the extreme minority, where what they say and do makes almost no difference in what comes out of this legislature.
Yet, in this case, they have managed some small impact – scaring the Democrats enough to stop their instinctive rush to raise taxes across the board.
Contrary to one post on this thread, they were not able to stop early release of prisoners, to wit – this quote from the Sacramento Bee, “Leaders agreed to cut $1.2 billion in the state's corrections budget, but they would not discuss how they would realize those savings until after they meet with their caucuses.”
The agreement will allow thousands of criminals to leave prison early. It will collect $3.7 billion in taxes - early. It supposedly "allows" drilling off Santa Barbara – but you know that isn’t about to happen. Over $2 billion will come from cities, meaning you’ll see massive cutbacks on local services and higher local tax increases.
But, the big frauds in the deal are cuts in welfare and education that probably won’t take place, due to lawsuits that overturned prior legislation of the same type. Courts have returned $500 million from House Assistance for the elderly and $3 billion from another cut, and billions more are currently being heard in courts.
Bottom line, this deal will pass, and the governor will sign it – and not a single Republican vote is needed to make it to pass.
However, Californians can thank the few Republicans in the state legislature for protecting them from massive tax increases that would have been in the bill, had they not stood firm in saying no new taxation – and urging budget cuts. The sad part about it is that the Democrats refused to look at government cuts, and even after passing, this will only postpone the ‘crisis’ about four to five months – creating another debacle, just in time for Christmas.
I suggest you go walk a mile in the moccasins of the conservatives in Sacramento, sit and watch what they face, and observe how hard they fight for you – before you blither about halting all funding for the entire GOP in the state – and conveniently overlook the hundreds of other decent hard working conservatives serving in offices across this state at the city and county levels, people that tens of thousands of conservatives worked hard to get into office - and want to keep in those offices.
No budget can pass the Assembly or Senate without GOP votes.
The CRP has zero clout. The only thing it’s useful for is raising soft money, otherwise it is totally useless.
It’s a good deal, including budget cuts and tax cuts. What? When do you think you will get exactly what YOU want? Don’t hold your breath. This is it, and stupid to fight it.
However, Californians can thank the few Republicans in the state legislature for protecting them from massive tax increases that would have been in the bill, had they not stood firm in saying no new taxation – and urging budget cuts.
I thank them, believe you me.
It's not a good deal, and it won't pass.
It will pass and the Governor will sign it.
For the serious majority on this site, this justification of failure is the road map for the California Republican Party as it has reduced itself to political insignificance.
Pardon me for being obtuse, but I don’t understand a word you just said...
For the record: if I were King this isn’t the budget CA would have. Sadly (gladly for most others) I am not the Regent. In strictly theoretical terms this isn’t a great deal. In reality, where one or two weasels can cave and give the liberals what they want (i.e. budget round 1 in CA as some of you may recall), this is a huge step in the right direction.
My thoughts are simply this - take a good win and use it to build momentum. We got drilling, we held fast on income and corporate tax rates, and we got cuts to the social service network that is bleeding this state dry.
My suggestion is some research.
The 2009-2010 California budget contains rate increases in both personal and corporate income taxes along with reductions in common tax deductions.
The 2009-2010 California budget provides for an increase, not a decrease in total social spending.
The proposed agreement with PXP for exploration of Tranquillon Ridge from federal waters in the 2009-2010 California budget ends ALL oil drilling and production in the SB channel in 14 years. It doesn't increase drilling.
Ahh a bunch of sneaky code words for new taxes are loaded in the bill?
Ha... you're right. Takes a two thirds vote - and Dims miss that by one seat in each chamber. Not to worry, the Dims can always count on Anthony Adams to vote with them (for now.) So, as I surmised in the prior, this budget-patch will most likely pass. (That has one big plus - the state will be forced to pay off the IOU's they've been handing out.) And, because there is still no viable budget in place, the legislature will be forced to come back with another bill late this year, if not before.
An aside... there has long been a cabal of liberal GOP fat cats that have wreaked havoc in California - but for all the money (multiple millions) they've spent over the years, they have not been all that successful. Oh, sure - some years ago the liberal GOP establishment, including Bush, funded liberal pro-abortion supporter Gerald Parsky as the chairman of the State GOP - and got him elected. Parsky then went after all conservative Republicans, particularly new conservative candidates - but he failed to stop most of them.
Elections tell the tale... liberal GOP candidates frequently don't get elected - while conservative GOP candidates do far better.
As for the State GOP itself, liberals have been losing seats, not gaining them. CA RINO pushers are in a hell of a snit right now - because they recently lost Los Angeles County to a staunch conservative - and quite capable - administration that has declared war on the RINO's.
Point is - if you are not fighting for party purity where it counts - at the local level - you're not even close to being in the right political war.
I am trying to keep my lunch down. You cannot talk about this deal and the previously passed budget as though they are the same thing.
The budget that was passed earlier in the year with the willing help of some turncoat republicans, namely Abe Maldonado, was (and still is) a mess which included tax increases. Hence my reference to Budget Round 1 in the earlier post.
This deal, this budget reconciliation, did not include further personal or corporate tax rate increases, which is what the Dems and their buddies at SEIU and the Teachers Union were running millions of dollars in adds trying to get. The GOP and the Gov held firm this time. Against millions of dollars in targeted ads, email campaigns, phone campaigns, public protests, and the usual fishwrap editorials up and down the state they finally held their ground.
This round the GOP also won reductions to previously planned spending on social programs.
The WSJ is touting the oil exploration deal with PXP as an increase to both production and revenues for the state. Yes it has a sunset period, but we all know that most dems never met a revenue source they didn’t like. I just don’t see them tossing away $100MM+ a year down the road, and it may in fact allow us the opportunity to say “see, we should do more of this” once revenues begin to be realized.
The 2009-2010 budget is the what you should be measuring this deal AGAINST. That is the budget that has been modified by this agreement. And if you already know that, which I expect you do, then know that I mention it as there may be some reading your deceptive finagling of the process who aren’t as aware and think that they agreed to more tax increases last night. They didn’t.
How about this as a benchmark:
The progressives are already writing editorials for tomorrow’s papers about how the Dems in CA should make the GOP ‘own’ this deal.
The KOSkids are screaming and spitting and cussing about how Bass sold them out for an ‘atrocious’ budget.
My suggestion:
Don’t try to paint the wins in this deal in the same light as the losses of the last one. The GOP and the Gov finally got something right, made some progress, and won significant concessions. We should be praising them and encouraging them to try to get more in the future, not chastising previous failures. (That said, methinks it’s time for Maldonado to retire, his sins against conservatism are hard to forget.)
We now know why this was not released to media. The bill provides for early the release of 27,000 prisoners. This follows the Governor's prior release of almost all juvenile prisoners and the prior release of tens of thousands of criminals (estimated at 16,000.)
The following is from Republican Assembly Leader Sam Blakeslee, to the Assembly Republican Caucus (emphasis not in the original:)
From: [Sam Blakeslee]
Date: July 21, 2009 3:21:24 PM PDT
To: [Republican Caucus]
Subject: Budget Double-Cross?
Throughout budget negotiations we insisted that Republican votes would never be provided for a budget deal that included early release of prisoners.
Our caucus and staff developed a cut strategy for corrections that provided the necessary savings to close the deficit without risking public safety.
We had a clear understanding with the democrats that NO corrections bill would be a part of the budget and that we would have an honest chance to contest the policy issues in the light of day in August.
Just two hours ago I learned from staff that Senate democrats are concocting a radioactive corrections bill that included the worst of the worst _ sentencing commission and release of 27,000 prisoners, etc
When I spoke with Dennis he was as surprised and upset as I was regarding what appears to be a serious breach of the agreement in the Big 5.
I have called and personally told both Karen and Darrell that their will be no republican votes for any portion of the budget if they allow such a bill to be part of the package.
I will keep you posted.
Sam
The Democrats lied. What else in the budget did they lie about? The public has the right to see the complete budget bill before a vote is taken. This is why the Democrats are refusing to hold hearings on the budget--it is a fraud and they want it to be law before we know the truth.
Voter Revolt anyone?
- -
So - perhaps this bill will NOT pass after all. Would the public approve - if all details were known? I seriously doubt it. Do we already face a potential crime-wave with prior releases?
The 2009-2010 budget is the 2009-2010 budget. A revision is being proposed. It doesn't change the existing budget unless specified. The tax increases remain in effect, the increases in the VLF, college tuition and a host of other fees remain in effect, total social spending is up over the 2008-2009 budget and drilling in the SB channel, now legal in-perpetuity, will face a 2024 sunset if this sham is upheld.
What is proposed is a sham. From cutting x from education but adding 2x later, to delaying payments, to printing money, to adopting clearly whimsical revenue forecasts, its a sham.
Who's responsible? The adults. The California Republican Party's elected leaders. The Austrian, Dennis Hollingsworth and Sam Blakeslee. Now these political whores have to sell their tainted flesh to their respective caucasus. They won't and then they'll be forced to find partisan among them who can be shaped.
See my last above... the Dims only need to peel-off one vote in each house, but DAMN, I pity any GOP flack that votes for this. Frankly, I can’t imagine it passing once this gets dissected in the pubic forum.
Verified quite true. See post 43. It gets interestinger and interestinger...
It is absolutely hilarious that Blakeslee now finds an out to ameliorate his own foolishness. Sam didn't talk to Dennis. He talked to his district reps and realised his career in politics is over.
Imagine what government would be like if it didn’t spend money it didn’t have any actually held money in reserve for bad economic times, if it even prepared for those bad economic times. Here in Georgia we have the same thing, In Gwinnett county we’re being told the prisons will be closed, police officers fired (actually doing that), firefighters fired, entire fire stations closed so that our fire insurance will go up — yet somehow they managed to spend 64 million on the Gwinnett Braves stadium last year. Idiocy. I’m with Beck, all incumbents — all positions — must go. I’d add zero-tolerance for lawyers, zero-tolerance for millionaires.
Hell, at this point we don't even require "party purity". Just give us some candidates that can support, and adhere to, the basics. Taxes. Spending. Law & Order. Illegals. Police and Fire. Union Busting.
These are basic, fundamental issues that if we in the Ca GOP cannot ensure adherence to...well, then we don't need to be a party anymore. Let somebody who's competent at forming a party build a new one.
Many in this current crop couldn't run as a DIM in many areas of the country. Reagan would be ashamed of what has happened to his state.
Bullshit. An accelerated collection of 2010 taxes, in the year 2009 via income withholding, is a TAX INCREASE. It's a tax increase in 2009 of 10% ABOVE whatever your current rate is. Anyone who argues otherwise is either a fool or a liar.
It's a new tax is this new budget deal. Any member of the GOP caucus who votes to support it must be expunged from the party. If the party will not take that action, all conservatives should leave the party and start a new one.
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