Posted on 04/12/2006 3:36:10 PM PDT by calcowgirl
SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is opposing a June ballot initiative promoted by director Rob Reiner that would raise income taxes on the rich to pay for universal preschool, his campaign team said Wednesday.
"Put simply, the governor does not support tax increases and is opposed to Proposition 82 because it will raise taxes," said his communications director, Katie Levinson.
Until now, Schwarzenegger has avoided definitive statements on Proposition 82, an initiative that is similar to an after-school measure he spearheaded in 2002 for after-school programs. Voters approved that measure and it is set to be funded for the first time in the fiscal year that begins in July.
Last month, Schwarzenegger accepted Reiner's resignation from the California First 5 coalition, a separate body that came under fire for spending $23 million on television advertising to support preschool. That ad campaign coincided with the launch of Reiner's promotion of Proposition 82, the so-called Preschool for All Initiative.
At the time, the Republican governor called Reiner, a Democrat, a friend. Schwarzenegger said Reiner had helped California "become a national leader in providing early childhood health and education services for our youngest children and their families."
The First 5 coalition has collected nearly $4 billion in tobacco taxes to fund early childhood programs.
The Preschool for All Initiative would raise income taxes by 1.7 percent for individuals who earn at least $400,000 a year, or couples earning at least $800,000, to pay for what supporters call high-quality preschool. It would raise an estimated $2.4 billion a year.
Critics have said it will unnecessarily fund preschool for parents who can already afford to pay for it.
Schwarzenegger's opposition to the measure came the same day his potential Democratic rivals reiterated their support for it.
State Treasurer Phil Angelides and state Controller Steve Westly, who are running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in the June primary, made a rare joint appearance in Los Angeles on Wednesday to announce their support for Reiner's initiative.
Question is... is this a blessing or a curse for us? ;-)
Ouch! It didn't help Prop 73 much, did it?
I didn't think of it that way originally.
I hope arnold stops this... Preschool is part of the dem/communist plan of taking children away from the parents as close to birth as possible. Then indoctrinating them to become a 'new man'..
Look at their plans.. government school k-12, preschool, government daycare for working moms(which they want all women to work), before school breakfast, after school day care... then after school sports.. or government funded activities, and government funded summer camps.
We never hear them talk of say.. tax breaks for couples where the mom stays home.
The fact that he didn't endorse it is a definite plus. That he only opposes it on the basis of taxes is too bad. There is also the wildcard: If the unions launch another Anti-Arnold campaign like they did with Prop 76 (taking down Prop 73 in it's wake), it could be trouble.
The theory is very close to the After-School-Programs initiative that he backs and believes in. I don't expect him to strongly campaign against it. If he does, I would be pleasantly surprised.
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