Karen Hanretty
Posted on 06/19/2006 9:42:39 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
If you want to be in political vogue this year, here's what you need to know. The slogan "live within our means" is out, pandering to Latino voters is in. That's why you see Arnold and the Democrats falling all over themselves to get close to the new "It" voter for 2006.
Republicans, never having been the cool kids in the building (as the capitol is known), are slow to play along and throw out last year's chinos for this year's cargo pants. Republicans are still stuck on fixing the structural deficit and passing a responsible budget. Others have different ideas.
While Democrats voted to cut $148 million from the budget for public safety, they were busy adding $300 million in new spending on welfare for illegal immigrants.
Gone is money in the budget that takes a proactive approach to surveillance and arrest of habitual sexual offenders.
Gone is money in the budget to provide guidance and mentorships to nearly 210,000 juveniles arrested yearly.
Gone is money in the budget to expand the number of community police officers.
Law enforcement groups say the average cost to hire a new police officer is $100,000. If the $300 million Democrats have seized to expand programs for illegal immigrants instead went to hiring new police officers, we would be able to put another 3,000 cops on the street to protect our communities.
This new found obsession with expanding programs for illegal immigrants leads me to question just what are the real priorities of the Democratic Party (or Gov. Schwarzenegger, for that matter) - protecting California families who play by the rules, or providing costly programs to illegal immigrants who cut to the front of the line to enjoy our nation's generosity?
This year's budget debate, as is the case each year, comes down to a question of priorities. Should California's $100 billion budget protect law enforcement and pay off our public debt as Republicans in the legislature propose doing, or should that budget, which will grow approximately 12 percent over last year's budget, expand costly programs for illegal immigrants as Democrats propose?
The ball is now in the Governor's court. Will he stand up for law enforcement and safer communities, or will he side the Democrats and their $300 million giveaway to illegal immigrants?
(That's why you see Arnold and the Democrats falling all over themselves to get close to the new "It" voter for 2006.)
It's not just Arnold and the Democrats now.
And the legislation on his desk to legalize perversion in school texts? Does he have some sort of reading problem?
I don't think that has hit his desk yet. It still hasn't passed the Legislature:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_1437&sess=CUR&house=B&author=kuehl
Schwarzenegger is still marginally better than the other guy running, but I am disappointed he turned out to be a girlie man.
You're welcome.
You're probably remembering the headlines from May when it passed the Senate. It is now in the Assembly.
I agree--it is good to keep a watchful eye. The left never sleeps!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=sb1437
He had an excellent opportunity but quickly squandered it.
He is now relegated to being just another Big Gubamint type, full of hype and indifferent to many of those same folks who put him where he is under false pretenses, imo.
I know he was grateful to his wife for the way she defended him and campaigned for him in the face of the sexual harrassment charges, but I wish he'd shown more gratitude to the Republicans who campaigned for him.
He kept putting distance between himself and President Bush and the Republicans, till okay, if that's the way you want it, you're on your own, Bub.
I'll vote for him, but my money is going to Katherine Harris and Ivey and others.
Karen Hanretty
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