CA: Governor caught in spending trap (promised cuts but approved increases after drawing FiRe))

Sac Bee ^ | 8/14/05 | Alexa H. Bluth

[NormsRevenge]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger frequently attacks legislators as spending addicts. He won his office largely by criticizing former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis for leading the state into the fiscal basement. And he is pushing Proposition 76, which includes restrictions that he says are necessary to rein in government spending.

But the Republican governor also has found that slicing and dicing government spending in California is no easy task.

Each of his first two budgets increased the size of state government, the more recent one boosting spending from the state's main bank account by nearly 13 percent. In the $117.3 billion budget he signed last month, general fund expenditures rose by more than $10 billion. The general fund - which totals $90 billion this fiscal year - is the state's main operating account and does not include special or bond funds.

The governor blames Democrats' grip on the Legislature and "autopilot" formulas for forcing the budget up. His top finance adviser said this year's spending spike is largely due to repayments on past borrowing.

Some strict GOP budget hawks, however, say Schwarzenegger failed to carry through with his political promises to mend California's fiscal woes by backing away from the budget cuts he needed to make.

"We have a problem in the Republican Party in California and nationally where the commitment for smaller government ends after the election," said Mike Spence, president of the California Republican Assembly.

Budget experts say the governor was faced with the same limits Davis faced: a growing public demand for state services and an unwillingness to raise taxes to pay for them, coupled with a stinging political backlash that comes with the suggestion of cutting funding for schools or social services.

[NormsRevenge]

$pend $pend $pend

[NormsRevenge]

queues the Elvis track

caught in a trap

(/elvis)

[AmericanChef]

A social liberal with claims of fiscal conservatism is a fiscal liberal. How else can you pay for those programs?

As soon as you get into office, you're corrupted regardless of how conservative you start out to be.

[EagleUSA]

As soon as you get into office, you're corrupted regardless of how conservative you start out to be.
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I have always said what will count is WHAT ARNIE DOES, NOT WHAT ARNIE SAYS. Judgement day is based on action ONLY, and not cheap talk. The sad part is people get elected on what they say -- and the tragic part was that the alternative would have been a far worse disaster for California. Doesn't say much for the political future of the state...

[Reagan Man]

I agree with your first statement. In fact, Tom McClintock said something very similiar during the recall campaign of 2003.

"I have always thought that one of the phoniest claims in California politics is that 'I'm a fiscal conservative but a social liberal,' which always invites the question: 'How do you plan to pay for your socially liberal programs with your fiscally conservative policies?'"

[goldstategop]

To be fair, voters want Big Government and low taxes. The GOP is simply giving them what they want. Americans indeed think they can have it all.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Reagan Man]

>>>>To be fair, voters want Big Government.....

That's baloney. Conservatives support limited govt and most Republicans would agree that smaller govt is best. PresBush is answering the clarion call most associated with political moderates, centrists and liberals. Bush`s tax cuts were great, but on the spending side the President and todays GOP are Big Govt Republicans.

[kittymyrib]

Boy, has Ahnold turned out to be a gold-plated dud or what. The Republicans will never get out of the hole he's digging for them in CA.