Posted on 06/24/2003 11:35:30 PM PDT by LdSentinal
Having constantly covered the California political scene for over 50 years, it is this reporter's conclusion that Mr. Hiram Johnson, when he was leading the state's government, was dead on target.
Hiram Johnson stated, "When a government leader fails to keep his pledge and promise to the constituency, those who elected him to public office should have the right to recall. We in California have never recalled a governor, but I assure you the time is now."
I have known Joseph Gray Davis since he tagged around after Gov. Pat Brown and his son Jerry as a wide-eyed kid with little, if any, talent. He fell into the job in a state dominated by a two-thirds Democrat electorate, and with little if any opposition, he grabbed the top spot.
It is my opinion that Joseph Gray Davis is one of the worst governors in the history of American politics. We are suffering the consequences. This government is the worst mismanaged, economically and culturally, of the 50 states of America.
At this moment, California is $38 billion to $40 billion in the toilet. That amount is equal to all of the indebtedness of all the other states combined!
Hardly a day passes that the governor and his gang have not piled on additional turmoil. Even as this is written, the Davis administration has tripled the state vehicle license fee. As example, the fee on a new Chevrolet Impala purchased for $24,000 called for a license fee of $162 last year ... $498 this year.
In 1966, Ronald Reagan pounded Gov. Pat Brown for spending $1 million a day more than the state's revenues – about $5.5 million in today's dollars. Davis, by contrast, is spending $30 million a day more than the state is taking in! It's time to call in Enron's accountants! If they're alive and well, perhaps they could help us in California's budget crisis.
The borrowing never stops. There's $1.8 billion to meet the state's pension obligation. $500 million the state owes to the State Teachers Retirement System. $1.1 billion of state school obligations and another $900 million of medical costs into the next fiscal year.
At least $8.5 billion in what Davis calls "cuts" are either tax increases or robbing from future budget years. An additional $5.5 billion in so-called "cuts" are the result of the governor adding new spending that is not required by current law, then taking it out again. He still has to borrow $10.7 billion to cover his deficit for the fiscal year ending June 30. Add to that an added interest cost of $1.1 billion.
According to the legislative analyst, total borrowing in one form or another accounts for $17 billion of what the governor is referring to as a "budget solution." In addition to tripling the vehicle tax, Davis proposes to raise California's sales tax (already highest in the nation). Davis starts the next fiscal year nearly $8 billion deeper in debt, despite more than $8 billion in new taxes.
In addition to all of California's other problems, we have an invasion by illegal aliens and their added costs economically, medically, occupationally and the resultant exploding welfare system, with a governor who fears raising the word "immigration" – legal or illegal – for fear it will cost politically.
Don't tell this reporter the mess we're in! I have been warning about this crisis for 30 years and now it's here.
I could go on for hours telling you of the tragedies in human suffering caused by this mismanagement, this dereliction of duty. For example, Sheriff's Deputy David March, making a routine traffic stop in Irwindale, was shot and killed by an illegal alien, Armando Garcia, who then fled to his native Mexico.
This is only one of hundreds of incidents in which an illegal has murdered one of our citizens, then fled to the safety of Mexico. Mexico, of course, does not believe in the death penalty or life imprisonment and therefore will not extradite a murderer such as Garcia.
Not one word of this by Davis, who shows every evidence that he supports abolition of any border between our state and Mexico. Mexican nationals, by crossing the border illegally, soon find themselves with identification, a driver's license and, most assuredly, a job – all this plus extensive medical care that is draining our state and closing many medical facilities.
Most illegals do not pay taxes; they're paid "under the table." Communication alone is a huge problem. Schools are trying to teach over 70 different languages.
Some 800,000 illegals are crossing annually, bringing with them drugs, guns, disease and God only knows how many terrorists. Over 25 percent of California’s jail inmates are legal and illegal aliens.
My dear friends, I could go on for hours describing this tragic situation, which sounds more like that in a Third World country.
I just dusted off a copy of our state's Constitution. Do you know what I found? On page 98, there it is! The Constitution clearly states that ENGLISH is the official language of the state of California. You'd never know it in my neighborhood.
The recall movement will succeed just as Proposition 13 succeeded, when California concluded that it was as mad as hell and wasn't going to take it any more!
We're moving rapidly toward the required 897,000 signatures to put the recall of Davis on the ballot. If a majority of voters say yes to recalling Davis, the top vote getter on a list of replacement candidates would automatically become governor. If the issue is on the November ballot, rather than on the March ballot, Republicans feel they would have a better chance of winning.
As this is being written, California's Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has stated she will not run against Davis. Thousands of Democrats like myself are determined that California will change.
Note: It's interesting to note that Putnam, now in his 89th year (69 of them as a reporter) has frequently been asked to run for public office. He received that vote of confidence prior to the Republicans' backing of Ronnie Reagan. Putman's response: "NO" – for three reasons:
An additional $5.5 billion in so-called "cuts" are the result of the governor adding new spending that is not required by current law, then taking it out again.
Man I hate Democrates.
According to the legislative analyst, total borrowing in one form or another accounts for $17 billion of what the governor is referring to as a "budget solution." In addition to tripling the vehicle tax, Davis proposes to raise California's sales tax (already highest in the nation). Davis starts the next fiscal year nearly $8 billion deeper in debt, despite more than $8 billion in new taxes.
But I thought that this wasn't the time for bickering we needed to work together to find solutions. They got what they wanted, $8 billion more taxes yet still managed to get $8 billion more in debt?
Well I dunno, I'm starting to lose faith in the State Legislature and Gray Davis to effectively manage this crisis.
Starting to? Most of your other posts indicate you are well past that point. If they couldn't handle (or even recognize for that matter) the energy crisis after they were warned and told and begged to handle it while it was still managable, they ain't getting anywhere near solving this budget puppy. It is simply beyond their collective mental capacity.
LOL! Sorry, Scott. That was heavy sarcasm.
My point is that if we stopping letting anti recall types from shifting blame off of Davis where it belongs, they will find themselves defending the utterly indefensible.
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