Posted on 05/31/2005 2:41:52 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Setting the stage for a bitter summer budget fight, Assembly Democrats on Tuesday proposed adding $3.1 billion to schools and paying for it with an income tax hike on the state's top earners.
The proposal puts Democrats at odds with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has been locked in a fight with educators since January over the amount of money due schools. The governor also has vowed to balance the state's budget without raising taxes.
Schwarzenegger has proposed an increase of $3 billion in school funding over last year. But the state's powerful education lobby claims public schools are owed an additional $3.1 billion that the governor promised to give them as part of an earlier budget agreement.
"The governor broke his promise, but we won't," said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles. "We will not shortchange our schools of the resources they need to educate our children to compete in the world economy. That is the fundamental difference between our budget and the governor's."
Nunez would pay for the additional school funding by increasing income taxes on the state's top wage earners. The idea, proposed unsuccessfully in the past by Democrats, received little support from the governor's office.
"More spending, as the governor has indicated, is what got us into this mess," said Rob Stutzman, Schwarzenegger's director of communications. "The governor remains opposed to tax increases. If the Legislature wants to put that forward, certainly it's their right to do so."
Schwarzenegger has proposed a $115.7 billion spending plan for next year.
The increase proposed by Nunez would boost the income tax on top earners by establishing new 10 percent tax brackets. Currently, the top rate is 9.3 percent.
His plan would give schools the $3 billion increase Schwarzenegger proposed and the additional $3.1 billion that schools claim they are owed from rising state revenue.
The state continues to spend tens of millions of dollars more each month than it takes in from tax revenue, but the improving economy has generated billions of dollars in unanticipated income over the past two years and is expected to do so again next year.
Schwarzenegger proposed spending much of the extra revenue on transportation programs that have been underfunded in recent years and wants to pay down some of the state's debt. He argues that schools have been given enough money and that any more funding would force cuts to other programs.
The Democratic budget plan comes as the Legislature begins budget hearings in earnest this week.
Lawmakers have a largely symbolic constitutional deadline of June 15 for adopting a budget. They typically are more focused on July 31, the end of the fiscal year, as the budget deadline, but even that date has rarely been met in recent years.
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On the Net:
Gov.'s home page: http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov-homepage.jsp
California Senate: http://www.sen.ca.gov/
California Assembly: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/defaulttext.asp
Why do I say this? If they had an ounce of sense they would not take any acts this year, in parallel withe special election this fall, that would anger the electorate any more. But tax hikes? That will tick off normal Californians and deliver more votes to Arnie's causes come October.
The California liberals still seem to think that class warfare works. But it doesn't. Even the average Joe knows that upper class taxes are too high. The maximum rate used to be 12% (yes, 12% !!!) before it was reduced several years ago. That's 12% on top of maximum federal rates of 38%. Again, even middle-class ordinary folks think 12% state taxes is too high.
Now if only they would propose a tax hike on gasoline...
I am torn: I would love to see better education for children, if for no other reason than to reduce the number of ignorant Democrats-to-be, but the only way to improve school performance is to get the libs out of education and kick out the teacher's unions.
Here in MA, the teachers fight statewide student performance testing tooth and nail, while constantly crying for more and more money "for the children."
Let's get the title correct. It's more money to the UNIONS not the schools.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
Next year: entrance exams. Bottom 30% don't get back into high school, and are redirected to vocational courses. Also, teachers have to re-interview for their jobs and take a test - bottom 30% are not rehired.
Do it, Arnold. Otherwise, you're a girly-man. ;)
Morning bump. ;)
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