Posted on 01/14/2004 9:59:59 AM PST by NormsRevenge
Same old game, just new players. Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promised during last fall's recall election to end the smoke and mirror state budgeting game, the plan he released last week includes many of the gimmicks he vehemently criticized.
He described former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis' recent budgets as "shell games" that depended on borrowing and shaky financial assumptions.
Guess what? So does Schwarzenegger's $99 billion budget. The largest chunk of proposed borrowing will come in March, when voters will be asked to approve a $15 billion bond measure to keep California from toppling over the brink of bankruptcy.
Like Davis, Schwarzenegger proposes nearly $1 billion in bonds to cover state pensions a plan already struck down by the courts.
Like Davis, he proposes to take a big bite out of Medi-Cal spending. Last year, doctors went to court to block Davis' plan.
The big difference is that Schwarzenegger has ruled out so far tax hikes, although he is proposing several "fee hikes." And he is protecting schools from most cuts.
But the plan looks much like Davis' and shows the strong imprint of former governor and Schwarzenegger mentor Pete Wilson -- particularly for ripping off local tax dollars that are supposed to go to support local government.
Should California voters who believed Schwarzenegger when he promised new and superior policies to right California's deficit-burdened financial ship be disappointed? Maybe.
Perhaps more appropriately we should recognize that no matter who is governor -- Davis or Schwarzenegger -- California's problems cannot magically disappear.
It will require sacrifice on the part of all Californians to recover from the financial mess the state is in.
Short-term, we must make deep cuts to close the immediate $38 billion hole and keep California from going bankrupt. Long-term, we must implement substantial reforms to create a leaner, more responsive and efficient state government.
Could Davis have done that? No.
Maybe Schwarzenegger's first budget mirrors his predecessor's "shell game." But Davis lacked the leadership and credibility needed to save California. He also lacked the political courage to take on special interests that helped balloon the state's budget deficit.
Also telling were the remarks of California Teachers Association President Barbara Kerr after emerging from negotiations last week with Schwarzenegger. Kerr observed that no other governor had involved her group as much as Schwarzenegger.
And when the celebrity governor was asked by reporters during a press conference unveiling his budget how he planned to deal with legislative resistance, he quipped he didn't "have a specific plan about how I am going to deal with each one of the legislators, how many cigars I have to smoke with them when I get together with them... ."
The big difference between Davis and Schwarzenegger is that he is willing to engage all parties in what will be very tough budget talks that must lead to major changes in the way California does business.
Typically, state budget talks languish for months, getting serious only after the July deadline is busted and only when legislators itch to take their summer recess.
This is not a typical budget year. The voters will have little patience with such behavior. And if Schwarzenegger and others want voters to stamp their approval onto the March 2 mega-bond measure, they'd better show they are serious about changing and trimming back state government.
Last-minute cutting will result in thoughtlessly swinging of the meat cleaver. This budget and California's financial mess requires precision surgery with steady hands.
Begin serious budget talks now. Begin a top to bottom review of every department, every board and every commission. Ferret out the fraud and waste Schwarzenegger promised to target when he campaigned last fall.
Arnold's total disinterest in hearing it.
Simple, really.
Vote down the "deficit bonds" in March.
These bonds are an essential element in continuing the excessive spending which has been proposed by both Davis and Arnold. I intend to refuse to allow the state to spend $99 billion per year. If there are people stupid enough to loan Kalifornia money to permit such spending, I intend to refuse repayment. No bonds. No new taxes.
We will see if the majority of Kalifornians choose to have a Coastal Commission rather than a fire department.
We will seel if the majority of Kalifornians choose to support an Alcohol Beverage Control Board rather than a police department.
We will see if a majority of Kalifornians choose to support continued maintenance of "assault weapon" and handgun registration lists rather than maintenance of our roads and highways.
The very reason to require super-majorities of the legislature to pass new taxes and to require super-majorities for voter approval of bonds is to prevent a simple majority from spending the state into irreversible ruin. It is time to make best use of these tools.
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