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CA: Governor sounds tax alarm, vows to rein in 'spending addicts'
AP-Monterey County Herald ^ | Oct. 26, 2005 | MICHAEL R. BLOOD

Posted on 10/26/2005 6:11:53 PM PDT by calcowgirl

ARCADIA, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned Wednesday that legislators could push California into a nightmarish era of higher taxes and runaway spending unless voters endorse his proposal to place tighter controls on the state budget.

In a staged poolside appearance at a private home, the Republican governor told an invitation-only audience that Proposition 76 would give him the tools to fend off a Legislature eager to dig deeper into taxpayers' pockets.

He also suggested that without greater budget discipline, the state might be unable to meet the mounting demands for everything from electric power to health care to highways.

"They have come to me with ideas like raising the property tax, raising the income tax, raising the taxes on the rich, raising the sales tax, and the tax on gasoline," the governor said, referring to the Legislature's Democratic leadership, which opposes the initiative.

"If we don't get a yes vote on Proposition 76 ... the other alternative is that they will increase taxes."

The governor's warning echoed earlier statements that his Democratic rivals have dismissed as campaign scare tactics. It would take Republican support to enact any tax increase in the Legislature, which requires a two-thirds majority vote.

With the election less than two weeks away, polls have found the proposal trailing, along with several other Schwarzenegger initiatives.

The threat of a tax increase "is not a real issue," said Assemblyman John Laird, a Santa Cruz Democrat who chairs the Budget Committee.

"No tax could be raised at the state level without the governor's agreement," Laird said.

He noted that even if a tax proposal did pass the Legislature, it would need the governor's signature to become law. In the case of a veto, the Legislature would again need a two-thirds vote to override.

Schwarzenegger, Laird said, is trying to sell his proposals with "the threat of taxes and fear."

Seeking media exposure as the election draws near, Schwarzenegger has embarked on a series of public appearances and televised question-and-answer forums to sell his slate of ballot proposals. His package of initiatives also includes measures to make teachers work longer for tenure and strip lawmakers of the power to draw their own district boundaries.

The campaign has pitted the governor against Democrats and public employee unions that see his "year of reform" agenda as a thinly disguised power grab.

With his public standing damaged by months of union-funded TV ads opposing his initiatives, Schwarzenegger is trying to reclaim the mantle of political reformer that helped propel him to office in 2003. He is a Republican incumbent who has raised millions of dollars from corporate interests, but he describes himself as a political outsider determined to dismantle the status quo.

"We want to give the power back to the people. That's why I was sent to Sacramento, as an outsider," the governor said.

Alluding again to the Legislature's Democratic leadership, Schwarzenegger said its members "always want more because they are spending addicts - they cannot help themselves."

Schwarzenegger delivered his remarks in this Los Angeles suburb just east of Pasadena as a small group of protesters chanted slogans and waved placards in the street. The governor stopped and shook hands with one of the protesters, Arcadia firefighter Dave Hutcheson, but they only exchanged pleasantries.

The governor has been warning that the defeat of his plan could lead to tax increases at least since June, when he called the special election and opened his campaign. Schwarzenegger has said he is opposed to tax increases.

The governor's repeated threat of looming tax jumps comes at a time when state revenues have been growing steadily. A surge in state income can diminish the need to raise taxes. However, the state is facing a projected $6 billion shortfall in its next budget.


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: capropositions; prop76; scaretactics; schwarzenegger; specialelection; taxhikes; truelies
"No tax could be raised at the state level without the governor's agreement," Laird said.
1 posted on 10/26/2005 6:11:56 PM PDT by calcowgirl
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To: calcowgirl; All

Is there a site with any new updated current poll info?

I go to realclearpolitics of late .. not that I pay any attention to polls, mind you. ;-)


2 posted on 10/26/2005 6:15:57 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Monthly Donor spoken Here. Go to ... https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: NormsRevenge

The last poll I saw was the S/H/KN poll. I posted a comparison of all of them at the link below.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507733/posts?page=10#10


3 posted on 10/26/2005 6:17:47 PM PDT by calcowgirl (CA Special Election: Yes, Yes, Yes, No, No, No, No, No!)
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To: calcowgirl

Thanks.


4 posted on 10/26/2005 6:25:26 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Monthly Donor spoken Here. Go to ... https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: calcowgirl
Schwarzenegger just keeps them coming.

Now the pot is calling the kettle black.

The Democrats are seldom truthful in their race to redistribute wealth but they hit the nail on the head when they observed that, at the governor's suggestion, and with the support of two thirds of the Republicans in the legislature, California recently adopted the two largest, spending increases in the state's history.

5 posted on 10/26/2005 6:41:48 PM PDT by Amerigomag
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