Full Court Press -- For This? (Arnold Wimping Out on CA Budget?)

California Insider Weblog (Sacramento Bee) ^ | July 13, 2004 | Daniel Weintraub

[pogo101]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and local government officials plan a full-court PR offensive Wednesday on behalf of their latest proposal for shifting local money to the state for two years and then blocking future such transfers.

... (SNIP) ...

So the governor who promised to attack California’s long-term, structural problems has abandoned that goal in this case in exchange for a couple billion dollars of short-term help with his budget problems. California needs a major overhaul of its entire system for financing state and local government. As part of such a reform, it might make sense to give the locals protection from future, arbitrary changes in the distribution of tax revenue. But instead of leading that discussion and using his power and popularity to enact it, Schwarzenegger is grabbing his $1.3 billion for two years and then trying to lock a dysfunctional system into the constitution.

... SNIP ... Why bother?

It would be far better to give the locals the iron-clad protection they seek – in exchange for a complete, rational overhaul of the entire system that fixes disincentives, connects responsibility for revenues to the spending of those revenues, and gives local governments a greater ability to raise money for their own programs, with voter approval. All of these things Schwarzenegger supports in principle. But he is not willing to fight for them, at least not now.

He has lost the chance to do that this year. There isn't time with the budget hanging in the balance.

So maybe the governor should just take the $1.3 billion, as he proposed in January, and let the locals make the case for their own ballot initiative, Proposition 65, in November. If that’s what voters want to do, then we’re stuck with it. But if it fails, then he can bring everybody back to the table on Nov. 3 and work on a true reform worth putting his prestige behind, and one that creates a legacy on this issue of which he could be proud.

Here is a copy of the latest framework.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

How can he object as he shares the basic philosophy of the trash that is allowed to hold office? The only difference is the trash wants to spend about $1.00 more.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Payback's a bich!!!

And just what are we getting payback for? The U.S. guaranteed their sovereignty and unless that changes we have no right to demand money.

[SierraWasp]

No! They're getting paid back for all the perceived mistreatment they've suffered at the hands of the disease infested european invaders since pre-Columbian times ended... Of course they never warred among themselves, or harmed each other, except at places like Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. (and a host of others that the re-written history books now exclude)(current history only includes the attrocities of the retalitory descendants of european males)

How long are you going to keep this irrelevant discussion going? You feel sorry for them and I simply don't!

I don't like the gun battles that have already happened over in Lake County over Casinos and that obviously doesn't bother you. I don't like the traffic backed up on the local freeways at off-ramps miles away from the country roads in Placer County they won't pay a dime to widen or even maintain. I don't like the extra expensive burdens on law enforcement in Amador County, but you don't care, or even know about stuff like that... so let it go!

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

At the risk of repeating myself I ask again, what part of sovereign nation do you fail to comprehend? You appear to not like Indians and that’s your own business. I know about the increased costs to places like Amador County and whilst I can sympathize with that you need to be looking to the Federal government for compensation since these extra burdens on the local community have resulted from their actions in creating the sovereign nations. The BIA is a disgrace and a thorough overhaul of it could not only increase its revenues significantly but also include a provision for fairly compensating local governments affected adversely by Indians tribes.