California voters OK $15 billion bond measure

Sac Bee ^ | 3/2/04 | Jim Wasserman - AP

[NormsRevenge]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Californians overwhelmingly approved a plan Tuesday to borrow a record $15 billion to bail out the state budget, handing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a crucial victory Tuesday in his bid to turn around the world's sixth-largest economy.

[NormsRevenge]

.

[goldstategop]

Arnold is the big winner. The Democrats have been flattened. No one is going to come within a mile of him in the next couple of months. Look for the State Legislature to hurry to get that workers comp reform bill on his desk before the end of the month.

[GeronL]

sheeple. They will come back in a couple of years and say they have to raise taxes to pay back the bonds

[SpyGuy]

Schwarzenegger used his celebrity and his political capital

And let's not forget that they (Arnold and his Democratic counterparts) used deceptive language (lies) to sell Prop 58 as a "Balanced Budget Act" when, in fact, it modifies the California Constitution to allow long-term borrowing to balance the budget. In effect, they have borrowed against the future to bail out the past reckless spending.

Mark my words: the combination Prop 57 & Prop 58 bail-out will just allow the power-brokers in Sacramento to spend even more on their loony Leftist legislation.

[Pikamax]

"Proposition 56, which would have allowed the California legislature to pass a budget with a 55-percent majority, instead of the two-thirds currently required, was losing in early returns."


That is what I was wondering about. keep losing.

[Amerigomag]

The Democrats have been flattened

What until 12 months form now.

One hell of a lot more than the Democrats will be flattened.

[goldstategop]

And do you really believe voters were prepared to ask for the kind of cuts no politicians would vote for? You and I might agree its sound medicine but its not going to fly in the real world.

[mcg1969]

Agreed. And with Prop 56 losing, at least the hard-line fiscal conservatives can keep a lid on taxes, forcing at least a bit of belt-tightening.

[null and void]

sheeple. They will come back in a couple of years and say they have to raise taxes to pay back the bonds

ya THINK!?!?!

[Prime Choice]

The Democrats have been flattened.

Not sure I follow you here. The Democrats (Gray Davis, Dianne Feinstein, et al) endorsed Prop 57. How does the passage of something they endorsed "flatten" them?

I'm glad to see people weren't fooled by the touchy-feely pro-Prop 56 ads, though...

[goldstategop]

Cause Arnold now calls the shots. If he lost, they could try to challenge him and push through tax increases. They're going to hold that back now. No point in crossing a popular governor and the Democrats endorsed Prop. 57 out of lack of an alternative to offer. Angelides had one but it was a tax increase platform. No Democrat is going to run on that this year back in their districts.

[Prime Choice]

Cause Arnold now calls the shots.

...by putting forward plans that the Democrats agree with. Hmm. Well, I guess you could say Arnold is calling the shots...but who's identifying the targets?

If he lost, they could try to challenge him and push through tax increases.

They're always trying to push through tax increases. And, now that we've made paying off the debt a seriously protracted matter with compounded interest, it's a foregone thing that the Democrats will jack up taxes and blame Arnold at some point in the future. Not much new there.

They're going to hold that back now. No point in crossing a popular governor

A Republican's popularity has never been protection against Democrat sniping. Look at how the Left savages President Bush at every turn. I don't think Arnold's popularity will provide him any immunity from attack.

No Democrat is going to run on that this year back in their districts.

Democrats never run on a "let's raise taxes" platform anyway. They always couch it in fuzzy concepts like "make others pay 'their fair share'" and "it's for the children," and similar themes. I don't see that changing any time soon, but I'd love to be disappointed.

[Rusty0604]

Yes, to me that (prop 56) was the MAJOR issue here in cali, and we lost. This (I live in bay area) is beautiful country, I love it, but if it continues to be taken over by socialists that are already failing, then let them fail, and We will be here to take our country back.

[Rusty0604]

Yes, to me that (prop 56) was the MAJOR issue here in cali, and we lost. This (I live in bay area) is beautiful country, I love it, but if it continues to be taken over by socialists that are already failing, then let them fail, and We will be here to take our country back.

[goldstategop]

I agree it would be best if they were eviscerated. We have to take what we can get and fight them again another day.

[Prime Choice]

I agree it would be best if they were eviscerated. We have to take what we can get and fight them again another day.

Makes no difference to me. I will hail the demise of my enemy whether they perish from one large gaping wound or several small festering wounds. (Though I have to admit the huge gaping wound has a certain appeal...)

[The KG9 Kid]

I'd like to petition the Governor to sign an executive order bringing California in line with the Federal Assault Weapons Ban --- for the sake of eliminating redundancy and waste of state taxpayers' money to enforce it, of course.

[claudiustg]

I can't believe that 55 is actually passing right now. We're in a big budget crisis and they're actually voting to spend more money!

[claudiustg]

See here;

http://vote2004.ss.ca.gov/Returns/prop/00.htm