'Failure to Launch' (a viewpoint from within the gang)

This week the opportunity for a June vote by the citizens foundered in face of differences between Republicans and Democrats. I believe the failure to reach agreement last week was based on legitimate differences rather than partisan politics.

I met briefly with the Governor last Thursday and he remains optimistic on achieving a deal for the November ballot. If anything, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an insufferable optimist and one of the most focused leaders I have known.

Gov. Pat Brown was visionary touting his "responsible liberalism" when he became governor in 1958. His 1958 campaign platform sounds almost like contemporary Schwarzenegger Republicanism. Brown, like Schwarzenegger, wanted to address transportation and water needs. Brown enlisted the help of Speaker Jess Unruh to thwart the efforts of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District. Brown was as determined then, as Schwarzenegger is now to achieve his BIG dreams.

Ronald Reagan succeeded Brown with his own great dreams, one of which was to reform welfare. Reagan achieved welfare reform working with a proud Los Angeles liberal Assembly Speaker Bob Moretti. Disagreements were minimized and welfare reform became a reality.

As Senate Republican Leader I was one of the authors of the GAIN welfare reform legislation. My Democrat counterpart and I included substantial funding for child care in the Senate version. Assembly Republican Leader Pat Nolan took issue with the child care appropriation. I knew the Assembly Leader was opposed and I didn't know if I had the votes in the Senate Republican caucus. I did have a feeling it was the right thing to do. GAIN became a reality that helped thousands become productive citizens. Vision and courage paid off.

I hope the vision and courage can pay off on the Governor's even more significant and needed Strategic Growth Plan.

Jim Nielsen (R), California Senator, 1978-1990, California Senate Republican Leader, 1983-1987, California Board of Prison Terms Chairman (appointed by Pete Wilson), 1991-2000, author of SB 1086 creating the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum, founding partner and president of Alternative Power Inc., member of the Wilsonegger transition team and advisor to the gang.

"Brown's State Water Plan proposed $1.75 billion in 1958, fully three-quarters of the state budget then. The current Democrat proposal of $500 million sounds shortsighted and miserly in comparison."

A few billion here a few billion there, pretty soon it adds up to a lot of money. It ain't 1958. The annual California State budget is far in excess of 100 Billion, with a "B" dollars. The guy we threw out signed his last budget - $98 billion. Arnold's first term budget was $103 billion,and he hasn't looked back since. Now its nearing $120 billion and the scum bags want to tack on another $200 million in bond debt. Its not about water, baby, its about money and the never ending spiral of borrow - spend - defer. How much of each tax dollar collected in Cal now goes solely to debt service?

No they want to throw in $222 billion - that's "B" in debt into the mix. That dwarfs this year's budget. You're right though - these guys want no end in sight to the spending and the borrowing. As far they are concerned, the bills are someone else's problem to take care of.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

I believe the failure to reach agreement last week was based on legitimate differences rather than partisan politics.

Yes, Republicans would actually like to build something, not like those pushing a BigBangBond of Pork.

From the Desert Sun, March 19, 2006 :

Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, said that the governor and lawmakers dodged a bullet by not passing a bond package that had become bloated and misguided so that only $9 billion of $50 billion would have gone for actual construction, by his calculations.

Associated Press, February, 16, 2006

Assemblyman Rick Keene, R-Chico, said he was concerned the governor's plan would eat up the state's ability to sell other bond proposals for as long as 40 years. He also complained it provided too little in bond funds for transportation, flood control and water storage. "We've got only $13 billion going into what I think California thinks infrastructure is," he said.

While I was in office, I got a look inside that GAIN welfare "reform" law and saw a clause in there that essentially said that welfare recipients (the agency's call them "clients") had had protections against being thrown off the dole equivalent to the work rules that protect union members!!! I couldn't believe my eyes!!!

Oh, and of course Pat Brown and Jesse Unruh saw to it that our lame legislature became "full-time!" Oh, and it sure doesn't look to me like the Grinninator is gittin it done anywhere near as well as poor ol Pat Brown did... far from it!!!

Pat Brown got 'er done so danged well that it gave his kid a Liberal guilt complex to the point that he spent his entire time as Governor tryin to do away with all the traditional American infrastructure good his father got done, making CA the "shining city on a hill" for the rest of the nation at that wonderful time!!!

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.