CA: Governor turns up pressure

Sac Bee ^ | 11/29/03 | Gary Delsohn

[NormsRevenge]

Determined to get his "fiscal recovery" plan through the Legislature by Friday's deadline, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will spend next week barnstorming the state and applying pressure to targeted lawmakers he thinks may be persuaded to come to his aid.

Using talk radio and campaign-style public events, the governor and his aides have carefully selected venues where they believe he can sway potentially sympathetic legislators by appealing directly to their constituents.

[NormsRevenge]

.

[DoughtyOne]

"I am in a conservative district, but I say it is a hard sell to tell Fresno to swallow $15 billion in debt. When you go to the Valley and talk about pulling out a $15 billion credit card, that is a tough sell."

I'm not sure what these folks are thinking. The money has been spent. We're $44 billion in debt. We have to service that debt. If we don't pass those bonds, we'll default on our current debt. It will be interesting to see how those folks react then. They'll probably blame that on Schwarzenegger.

[LaraCroft]

What idiots. Its OK to vote for a thousand page bill you've seen for 10 minutes, but a week is not long enough.

They may be evil, but I wish they would at least be honest.

[Dark Wing]

You called this.

[Tamzee]

I'd be really curious how a conservative or unbiased newspaper would have relayed this article. I sorely wish that Rupert Murdoch would start up or buy a paper in L.A. the way he did in NYC to face off with the NY Slimes. I bet it would do well, having no competition whatsoever on the West Coast.

[Brian Allen]

Surely, rather than pass an unconstitutional Fifteen Billion Dollar tax increase [By any other name!] and saddle unborn and/or not yet criminally invaded alien Californians with its compounded cost, Governor Swartzenegger had better declare that the State government is bankrupt -- and sack its dole recipient bureaucrats and shut down its of at best dubious-value "services!"

Declare a state of emergency and shut down everything but state National Guards, state police, prisons and courts.

For ever!

[How wonderful if he started out calling reality "Reality" -- and dealing with that!]

[NormsRevenge]

I hear ya on Rupert. Whatever happened to Richard Rairdon and his newspaper he was going to start? This goes a few years back in LA as I recall?

The LA Daily News and the OC Register are a couple decent rags in SoCal. But far from full-blown conservative, imo. (Not that being a full-blown conservative is bad, mind you.)

[DoughtyOne]

While I sympathize with your and NormsRevenge's comments, I don't see it as responsible to simply declare the state bankrupt and walk away from our responsibilities. We developed this debt and we should retire it rather than walk away from it. Yes it was a nitwit democrat by the name of Gray Davis and his socialist lackies in the state legislature that mismanaged us into this mess, but the voters of California allowed them to do it.

As this debt is paid down, I'd like to see privatization and fund restructuring so that local communities regain control of their dollars. The state should back away from many programs and commissions that have fluorished under both parties.

IMO Schwarzenegger's actions should be only the first steps toward totally revamping this state over the next seven to ten years with the goal of cutting state government and returning power to the local communities.

[NormsRevenge]

..totally revamping this state over the next seven to ten years with the goal of cutting state government and returning power to the local communities.

Hmmm... A noble goal. Is this going to be a pay as we go experiment or is there a plan?

Can we make sure eliminating the 2-house system in Sacramento is included on that list along with limiting the amount of time the legislature meets each year and re-districting the state to eliminate the gerrymandered "safe zones" for each of the parties? Oh, and ban lobbyists (in a humane manner, of course).

re: bankruptcy. The Feds and Wall St. obviously wouldn't like that nor would they allow it. Just think of the ramifications.

[Brian Allen]

<< We developed this debt and we should retire it rather than walk away from it. >>

Hi there, D-1

OK, I'll buy that "we" incurred the debt -- but I won't allow that your children and/or my grandchildren -- and their's -- should have one iota of their lives energies enslaved for even one millisecond to pay it back.

And the only way to ensure that doesn't happen is that we face the reality of the situation RIGHT NOW and deal with it RIGHT NOW -- by shutting down the mind-boggling aray of "state services" that decades of socialist creep has saddled us with. Keep National Guard, police, prisons and the judiciary and fire all of the rest. If it is "needed," let private enterprise and local government pick up all that the state drops.

And whether we like to admit it or not a "bond issue" is a tax increase -- and is therefore as criminal an action as were any of the myriad criminal actions and activities of decades of Sacremento's scurrilous organized-crime-like "politicians" and "bureaucrats."

That landed our state in the bankruptcy it now needs to face up to.

Belated Happy Thanksgiving, D-1, to you and to all of those you love.

God save our America!

Blessings -- Brian

[Amerigomag]

I'm not sure what these folks are thinking

Those objecting in the rural heartland are pragmatic good old boys and their objections are not rocket science.

1 No one elected Schwarzenegger to raise taxes and the bond is a massive tax. A tax that will not only be paid by the electorate but also their children.

2) Most who voted for Schwarzenegger, whether consevative or moderate, wanted spending curtailed ... now. The bond allows continued, unjustified spending.

3)The budget cuts announced thus far are only superficial and not even aimed at the major problem, entitlements.

4)The spending caps will have little effect on reducing entitled spending over the next 24 months, especially if the bond passes.

5)The emergency measures the governor seeks are a duplication of the veto process. Should these powers be available to a liberal governor with an otherwise moderate electorate they simply become freightening.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks for the comment guys. Under Davis California's state income stream grew by 20-25% (I've forgottent the exact figure). The problem was, spending went up by around 45%.

We should cut state outlays to exactly what our income is at this time, then freeze all spending for two to five years. The debt would be paid down within two to five years by simply allowing the growth in state income to go to the debt rather than new programs.

At the same time we should be devising ways to privatize any state programs that must be maintained. I'd sh-t can all the commissions. I wouldn't stop there.

I like the idea of reducing our legislature to part-time. I'd reduce their salaries to a minimal amount so they'd have to be a part of the real world in order to serve. I'd gut their staff. These guys have their own little fifedoms that should be shut down.

I don't so much have a problem with lobbying, just so long as no money or favors were exchanged. I'd also stipulate that each representative had to spend three times as much time meeting with private citizens as with lobbiests.

Have a great weekend guys.

[Brian Allen]

#13 Term limits! -- Bump.

[NormsRevenge]

It's OK .. if .. each representative had to spend three times as much time meeting with private citizens as with lobbiests.

---

A few do, oddly enough. Dummies , they could be raking in the dough. ;-)

Have a good one, looks to be a wet one in the Bay Area tonight.. best to stay online .. already got the fire going here..

[DoughtyOne]

Agreed!

[DoughtyOne]

Didn't get to sleep until 4am so I'm dragging and the weef wants me to go out to dinner with one of her long term friends and her boyfriend. ug...

Luck you! I'm envious.

[BikerNYC]

Surely, rather than pass an unconstitutional Fifteen Billion Dollar tax increase [By any other name!] and saddle unborn and/or not yet criminally invaded alien Californians with its compounded cost...

I agree. The same should be appiled on the federal level. I am so tired of the weaklings in Washington wanting everything now and not willing to pay for it now. Rather, they say, let's have it now and have our children pay for it later.

[concentric circles]

Let 'em know what you're thinking:

Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla - Pittsburg mailto:Assemblymember.Canciamilla@assembly.ca.gov

Assemblywoman Ellen Corbett - San Leandro mailto:Assemblymember.Corbett@assembly.ca.gov

Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe - San Diego mailto:Assemblymember.Kehoe@assembly.ca.gov

Assemblywoman Barbara Matthews - Tracy
Phone: (916) 319-2017 (209) 948-7479

Assemblywoman Nicole Parra - Hanford mailto:Assemblymember.Parra@assembly.ca.gov

Assemblyman Juan Vargas - Chula Vista mailto:Assemblymember.Vargas@assembly.ca.gov

Sen. Dede Alpert - San Diego
mailto:Senator.Alpert@sen.ca.gov

Sen. Denise Ducheny - San Diego http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/senator/ducheny/

Sen. Dean Florez - Shafter http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/senator/florez/

Sen. Mike Machado - Linden http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/senator/machado/

Sen. Tom Torlakson - Antioch http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/senator/torlakson/

Why didn't one of the Arnold cheerleaders post this?