Dan Walters: Democrats leveraged budget, too

Sacramento Bee ^ | 8/24/7 | Dan Walters

[SmithL]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Democratic legislators and the media roasted Republican senators for holding up passage of the state budget on issues that had nothing to do with the budget, such as their demands to restrict lawsuits over greenhouse gas emissions.

"A whole lot of stuff was brought up at the end that was never brought up before," Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata complained at one point.

It's a valid point, even though Republicans countered that they had to use the budget on other issues because the Democrats otherwise ignored them. But Republicans weren't the only ones leveraging the budget on extraneous matters; Democrats loaded up the so-called "budget trailer bills" with, as Perata might describe it, "a whole lot of stuff."

The 15 trailer bills whipped through the Assembly with the budget bill July 20. But the monthlong stalemate in the Senate gave those affected an opportunity to crank up lobbying efforts. In the final, hectic moments of the budget drama this week, some significant changes were made in the form of trailer bills to the trailer bills.

One last-minute change, demanded by Republicans, repealed a provision in one Assembly-passed trailer bill that, in effect, denied pollution reduction funds to railroads. The ban had been placed in the trailer bill by allies of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which has been feuding with the state Air Resources Board over locomotive emission controls.

The ARB and the railroads reached a master agreement on reducing emissions two years ago. The regional air board has been trying to undo it ever since, alleging that it's too lax. The ban on railroads receiving funds was aimed at pressuring them into negotiating a new pact.

[goldstategop]

To the MSM, Republicans are narrow minded creeps. Democrats are just big hearted saints.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus