Arnie Accused Of Terminating Help For Poor

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 11-26-2003 | Oliver Poole

[blam]

Arnie accused of terminating help for poor

By Oliver Poole in Los Angeles
(Filed: 26/11/2003)

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who promised that his governorship of California would be marked by "action, action, action", proposed almost $2 billion (£1.25 bn) in budget cuts yesterday. Health care and education were among the areas worst hit.

The cuts were outlined by his new finance director Donna Arduin, who has swiftly been nicknamed "Axe Arduin" in the state capital, Sacramento.

She already had a reputation for slashing spending in other states and described the waste and California's budget deficit as "breath-taking" when she reviewed state finances.

Under the proposals, $440 million (£275m) will be shorn from health and human services. The axe fell on in-home services aimed at keeping the elderly, blind and disabled out of nursing homes.

The education budget is to be slashed by $160 million (£100m), eliminating classes offering music and art to the disabled. The news brought howls of protest. Mr Schwarzenegger's critics say the poor and deprived will be the worst hit.

He was accused of "betraying those most in need" and "cutting children's only chance".

The criticism and the strength of Democrat opposition indicated that Mr Schwarzenegger's hopes of finding a bipartisan solution to California's financial problems are likely to flounder.

The budget deficit is at least $17 billion (£10bn) and he has promised not to raise taxes. This leaves little room to manoeuvre other than to find savings, particularly as the actor's first move had been to overturn an unpopular tripling of car tax which had brought in another $4 billion (£2.5bn) in revenue.

It is expected that the extent of the cuts will rise to almost $4 billion over the next two years as the budget is made even leaner.

A further $15 billion (£9bn) is to be raised under a borrowing and spending limit package.

[BlazingArizona]

Arduin is dead right. As a former Californian myself, I can attest that the reason Califronia has so many poor people is that it keeps subsidizing them. Ifit stops doing so, the poor will stop moving into the state.

[xrp]

How can the poor be hardest hit if they're hardly contributing to funding the budget anyway?

[45Auto]

The objective of the Demo-RAT-bastard-socialists (and some lefty Repubos,too) is to create a society in which everyone is poor and dependent upon government; over time, less and less people carry more and more of the tax burden, until, in the end, you have the former Soviet Union and imminent collapse. The more welfare you spew out, the more poverty and dependence you create. It can never be any other way as long as one embraces the phoney "compassion" of socialism. The end game will not be pretty.

[onyx]

Gotta love it whenever the democrats whine and this maroon writes for a UK paper. HA!

The more I read about Donna Arduin, the more I like her. Governor Arnold strikes again. Dang, he's looking GOOD.

[Michael.SF.]

eliminating classes offering music and art to the disabled. The news brought howls of protest.

My wife is a therapist working with disabled kids (many as a result of mothers using drugs). The amount of money spent on these kids is staggering.

Her case load is about 20-25 kids. Many of these kids have little or no hope of recovery. Progress is measured in small incremental steps.

As part of their evaluation, my wife and other therapists, are required to meet with the parents periodically to assess the development and reevaluate the therapy programs.

All fair and reasonable, so far.

The parents, who are more affluent, always come prepared for these meetings with an "advocate." This is a person trained in the 'rights' of the disabled to have therapy. This could include:

Speech Therapy
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
and Recreational (music) Therapy

It is my wife's job to evaluate the kids to see if they can benefit from any of the above theraputical measures. It is the advocates job to get all she can for the child, even though the therapy may have little or no practical benefit to the child.

I am not opposed to the Therapy, what is frustrating is, that it is the Advocate/parents who have much of the power over the treatment program and the Administrators that often do not support the Therapists.

Of course, the parents always want what is best for their kids. But they are also, quite often, the one's least able to make a fair determination of the possible benefits.

I am not advocating elimination of the therapy, just a better evaluation method so as to get more realistic theraputical treatment for the kids.

Also, the state is responsible for their therapy from age four to age 20.

BTW, with the hiring freeze in place, often times this therapy must be contracted out, at much higher co$t$.

[68 grunt]

Dang, he's looking GOOD.

I think so, too. Man, gloating is really fun.

[onyx]

Man, gloating is really fun.

Sure is, and after the abuse we withstood, we're "entitled" to gloat.

[Pukin Dog]

I unfortunately have to be in San Francisco today. On the local news, the reporter showed a video of a mentally disabled man drooling and stumbling around, then they said, "When you think of budget cuts, think if THIS man." Then they went on to report on how Arnold's cuts will take away "services needed for life" should he succeed. It was the most blatant left-wing bias I've ever seen on a news program. Then they went on to talk about the morning-after pill being available over the counter, without mentioning a girl who died from the drug only a month ago.

[Hildy]

They're not talking about being hit financially, they're talking about taking a hit from the services they'll get.

[Simmy2.5]

Didn't take long for the libs to go "hurts the chillddddrrrrreeeeen" whine.

Going to be fun 3 years (hopefully 7 and more) in Cali.

[Savage Beast]

Californians have been living waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond their means. Sooner or later the money runs out.

[Tamzee]

Hey, a gloating party, what fun!

That's our Arnold :-)

[onyx]

No gloating party is complete without you. Have at it! :)

[NormsRevenge]

Sure is, and after the abuse we withstood, we're "entitled" to gloat.

---

Another "entitlement" program? Can FR afford it? LOL

Don't mean to rain on your parade of gloat floats.. ;-)

But .. We are all in this mess together. The less time we spend rehashing old battles , the better it will be for all. (Plus I expect there will be other skirmishes and divisive issues down the road. So it was with the Founding Fathers and continues to be with their progeny.) :-)

Geesh, I almost disgust myself sometimes .. The things we do in the pursuit of harmony. :-)

[Arthalion]

This taxpayer dependent California state employee just has one thing to say: GO ARNOLD!!!!

The waste that goes on in state agencies is nothing sort of astounding. During a short stint at the California EPA in 1999, I watched them discard THOUSANDS of cases of paper (dozens upon dozens of pallets) simply because the percentage of recycled materials didn't meet their requirements. I shed no tears when they cut my position...I was glad to be out of that place. I'm in education today (work at a state college) and let me tell you, the waste here may be bad but it's NOTHING compared to the garbage they pull in Sacramento.

[Tamzee]

NormsRevenge has a good point about not adding yet another entitlement program... Axe Arduin would just stomp us right back into oblivion anyways ;-)

[onyx]

Geesh, I almost disgust myself sometimes .. The things we do in the pursuit of harmony. :-)

Norm: I remember early on in the campaigns, telling someone (Fair Opinion I think) that I liked you and would still be friends with you AFTER Arnold won. Do you remember? Well, I was right about you. AND, you're welcome to "gloat" with us whenever Governor Arnold does something you like. Be prepared to gloat often. :)

[NormsRevenge]

LOL... Do I remember? As a veteran of some nasty campaigns, I know that the sun will come up tomorrow, even tho my candidates poll numbers may not, no matter how good a platform he stands for.

We make pie with the ingredients we have on hand. Here's to putting Jackie Goldberg and her ilk on crow pie diets.

I may ask my wife to buy me a pair of Arnie's shoes for Christmas, yaknow, the deck shoes or whatever they are he wears(I wonder if they make 'em with velcro straps?).

It is going to be a Long March across a lot of demRats the next few months leading up to the November 2004 election. Ya need comfy shoes. ;-)

[68 grunt]

Norm, remember, those who live by the gloat, die by the crow ;^)