Posted on 03/06/2007 12:42:26 PM PST by NormsRevenge
I would imagine that Generals fighting wars have to occasionally 'step back' from the individual battles they are fighting, to check on the overall progress of the total campaign against the enemy. Of course, for fiscal conservatives, the 'enemy' is growth in size and scope of spending of government at every level -- or put another way, the goal of the war is to preserve, and in fact 'win back' freedom and liberty for the people.
When California voters stepped up in 2003 to ceremoniously recall now-disgraced Governor Gray Davis, that effort was led by a strong coalition of people that felt that Davis and his administration were failing the people -- the taxpayers. An important part of that effort were fiscal conservatives, such as myself, who were concerned that our State Budget had climbed to a record $78 billion. We were outraged that the annual growth of state spending was at an alarming 7%, and that Californian's were saddled with a state deficit that was $6.6 billion dollars. As Tom McClintock points out in our "Golden Pen" column today, debt-service costs when Gray Davis was Governor were a whopping $2 billion a year.
We prevailed in the recall, and replaced the principle-devoid Davis with a new Republican superstar, Arnold Schwarzenegger. I remember chatting with Dee Snyder, the lead singer of the band Twisted Sister at the last big Sacramento Rally. It was surreal watching Schwarzenegger wave a broom in the air, yelling that he was going to "sweep the special interests out of the Capitol behind me" and then Snyder started to sing his signature, "We're not going to take it anymore" song.
Fast forward a couple of years later, and now the luster seems to have come off of the shining star. The man I voted for (over Tom McClintock, I might add -- now with regret) has gone AWOL (absent-without-leave) on the battle against the special interests, and the battles that he chooses to fight as the General elected to take on the special interests are, instead, to increase regulation and to spend more, and more, and more. Fiscal conservatives and our agenda seem to have been swept under the rug. As a matter of fact, with the Governor's introduction of a massive tax increase this year as part of a health-care proposal that is geared around the concept of government responsibility for the healthcare of Californians, it seems like California is going in the wrong direction.
Let's look at the progress on the war against growth in state government: The state budget has now increased to $102 billion (up a staggering $24 billion from the Davis era), the deficit is up to $8 billion (up a very troubling $2 billion over what Schwarzenegger inherited from Davis), debt-service costs are up to $6 billion annually (they were at $2 billion at the time of the recall), and the annual growth of state spending is just over 10% (up 3% from the Davis days). Here is a poignant statistic to at an 'exclamation point' to these numbers: state government now consumes $9.54 for every $100 in personal income.
It is clear that we are losing the war. I understand that when you have a liberal Democrat majority in each house of the legislature, that we are not going to see reductions in the size and scope of spending -- or if we do, it would only come with tradeoffs that would be equally unpalatable. But I also expected that our Republican Governor would take any measure necessary to make sure that spending would shrink under his watch.
That having been said, it is my hope that the Governor will reflect on the State of California, and if he is as alarmed at these figures above as the fiscal conservatives who just played a big role in re-electing him (based in a large part on his iron-clad "I will never raise taxes" pledge) -- that he will immediately withdraw his multi-billion dollar tax increase proposal, and officially declare the State of California to be 'chronically obese' and pursue 'trimming the fact' in our California budget with the same vigor that he has pursuing in promoting physical fitness in himself and in others. If not, California is going to have a massive heart attack.
It's a good thing we practice
No Fault Gubamint here.. uhhh
I mean 'post-partisan' ;-)
De Tocqueville's prediction about people voting themselves $ can now be seen in the rear view mirror.
They thought he was a conservative ?
They are idiots.
Another McClintock Ping!
Wouldn't it be fun to take the time to go back through the old recall threads and pull out the most extreme claims on both the pro-and anti-Arnold sides. My guess is that our warnings weren't dire enough.
Which was not only naive but contrary to all facts that were in evidence at the time. This was the same guy pushing government baby-sitting in his After-School-Programs debut into politics. The same guy who was touting global warming and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. The same guy that had a gaggle of liberals advising him that he subsequently hired to fill the executive suite. The same guy who refused to say how he would solve the fiscal crisis facing California.
That having been said, it is my hope that the Governor will reflect on the State of California, and if he is as alarmed at these figures above as the fiscal conservatives who just played a big role in re-electing him ....
Wake up, Jon! He isn't alarmed. He likes this! He's a trojan horse destroying the GOP and advancing liberalism and big government faster than Gray Davis could have ever dreamed of!
I want this carved on their foreheads.
We need to remember this for the '08 elections, when the pragmatists will try to push the RINOs on us.
Type in the word GIULIANI in your FreeRepublic search window. They are even using identical arguments to those they used in the Recall. Substitute "Hillary" for "Bustamante", "Rudy" for "Arnold", and "Duncan Hunter" for "Tom McClintock." It's all been said already. No need to retype. Just cut and paste.
No need to go back. Just go to any Rudy thread and see the same freepers ignoring reality, claiming the same myths and using the same arguments. Deja vu.
You're right.
That's why the 'o8 campaign ploys ring so hollow.
Arnold's empty promises.
Yup. The Giuliani threads are a CA Recall Redux. To determine whether I hold my nose for Giuliani in the gneral election, falls on one question - Was Rinold worth the Recall effort?
Their cult leader is freeper Fair Opinion. :-)
Remember, Rudy endorsed Arnold back in 2003.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/970684/posts
BTTT
I won't say "I told ya so..."
But like Larry Elder and I said back in 2003; "you can't be a social liberal and a fiscal conservative at the same time. You have to pay for all those social programs some way."
Where are all the RINOld Fan Club members???
Been mighty quiet 'round here lately...
"RUReady4ARecall"
Actor tours across state in flashy bus procession (Giuliani campaigns for Schwarzenegger)
Posted by FairOpinion On News/Activism 10/03/2003 7:08:46 PM PDT
Contra Costa Times ^ | Oct. 3, 2003 | John Simerman
*GIULIANI SAYS ON CNBC THAT HE SUPPORTS ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Posted by BunnySlippers On News/Activism 09/26/2003 7:46:04 AM PDT
ARNOLD leads by 6 = RUDY endorses ARNOLD
Posted by ALOHA RONNIE On News/Activism 08/26/2003 8:15:41 AM PDT
KTLA-TV Channel 5 Los Angeles 'Morning News' ^
More Backers [Giuliani] Throw Support to Schwarzenegger
Posted by TheBigB On News/Activism 08/25/2003 9:59:27 AM PDT
Fox News Online | 8/25/03
RUDY PUMPED TO STUMP (For Arnold)
Posted by kattracks On News/Activism 08/25/2003 12:10:47 AM PDT
New York Post | 8/25/03 | DEBORAH ORIN
Giuliani May Endorse Arnold & Pataki Will Do Fundraiser
Posted by WestCoastGal On News/Activism 08/25/2003 5:47:00 PM PDT
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