Schwarzenegger: Illegal immigrants not to blame for budget mess

Sacramento Bee ^ | Wednesday, March 26, 2008 | Kevin Yamamura

[ElkGroveDan]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, responding to the mother of a Republican state legislator, said Wednesday it would be a "big mistake" to blame illegal immigrants for the state's looming $8 billion budget problem.

The Republican governor was in San Luis Obispo to pitch his budget proposal to local officials and business leaders when he was asked by Diane Blakeslee, mother of Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, how the state should handle fiscal burdens created by illegal immigrants.

"There is, you know, always a time like this where you start pointing the finger at various different elements of what creates the budget mess, and, you know, some may point the finger at illegal immigrants," Schwarzenegger said. "I can guarantee you, I have been now four years in office in Sacramento, I don't think that illegal immigration has created the mess that we are in."

[indcons]

Ping

[Scarpetta]

OK, how about we blame greedy politicians with their hands on taxpayers’ wallets, pandering to illegals, Arnie? Is that more accurate?

Ding ding ding!

[Little Ray]

Its also because they're taxing and regulating businesses right of the People's Republik of Kalifornia...

[calcowgirl]

7. Championed spending over 1/2 Billion per year on government baby sitting (after school programs)
8. Promoted spending $3 Billion ($6B with interest) on embryonic stem-cell research
9. Sponsored a host of multi-billion dollar, unaffordable, economically non-viable projects such as the hydrogen highway and million solar roofs programs.
10. Is spending billions to introduce greenhouse gas regulation and a cap-and-trade program for the global warming hoax.
11. Caused 7% of the budget to be dedicated to debt service due to irresponsible borrowing.

[ConservaTexan]

I have been using crimmigrants on free republic for over a year. It hasn’t caught on.

[AuntB]

I saw the headline. Couldn’t stomach reading it. I’ve decided what I’m going to be when I grow up. One of those head in the sand types who practices and believes ignorance is bliss.....

[Red6]

He says what he has too in order to survive.

The unfortunate thing is that he proves that he’s baseless and without principal in the process.

[Redcloak]

Of course, the Governator proposes his budget, but the Legislature porks it up beyond all recognition. He can use the line item veto to eliminate specific programs, but not to scale any back. In other words, if he wants $10 dollars to study the effects of Britney Spears’ lost underwear on the reproductive habits of the Death Valley Spotted Mudskipper, he can either accept the legislature’s increase of that budget item to $2.5 million or veto the whole thing. He can’t cross out $2.5 million and write in $10.

[DoughtyOne]

Thank you. I appreciate the addendum.

[DoughtyOne]

Well, I’ll be helping. I’ve already started using it, thanks to you.

[calcowgirl]

I liked your list, just thought I’d add a couple of overt acts.

The list could go on and on.

[subterfuge]

I don't think that illegal immigration has created the mess that we are in."

I guess that settles it then. Intuitive Rule by the guv.

[lakeman]

BINGO

[Seaplaner]

and, you know, some may point the finger at illegal immigrants

And, that would be me (and my finger).

[AuntB]

The more I think about it, Arnold is probably a perfect reason we should have a complete immigration moratorium.

[Pining_4_TX]

“Putting a 50% fee on wiring money out of the country would help address the shortfall. It would also send a lot of crimmigrants elsewhere.’

Absolutely right! Why isn’t this proposal ever mentioned?

[muleskinner]

Arnold did make an attempt to get a control of the parts of the state budget, but, if you remember, his 2006 ballot initiatives got schmiced at the ballot box, thanks in large part to the public sector unions - teachers, etc. They played the "World will end if you vote for Arnold's propositions" card. Arnold learned his lesson. The majority of voters in California want to have it both ways, so they're gonna' get it but good.

Around 50% of state taxes goes to schools and the California Teachers Union is the largest in the state. So anytime there is even the whiff of a threat to their kingdom, the airwaves are flooded with dramatic and heartfelt pleas to Joe Voter and how they should storm the state capitol, destroy all Republicans and hang Arnold in a gibbet for the sport of the crows.

[rbg81]

Of course the illegals are not to blame. The taxpayers who resist forking over more of their income to the Government are to blame. Silly, taxpayers!

[DoughtyOne]

I'm not sure what initiatives you're refering to.

June 6, 2006

• 81 - Failed - California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2006
• 82 - Failed - Public Preschool Education. Tax Increase on Incomes Over $400,000 for Individuals; $800,000 for Couples.

November 7, 2006

• 1A - Passed - Protection of Transportation Funding
• 1B - Passed - Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security
• 1C - Passed - Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006
• 1D - Passed - Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006
• 1E - Passed - Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Act of 2006
• 83 - Passed - Comprehensive Registered Sex Offender Laws (popularly known as "Jessica's Law")
• 84 - Passed - Bonds for clean water, flood control, state and local park improvements, etc.
• 85 - Failed - Parental Notification before Termination of Teen's Pregnancy (second attempt at Proposition 73)
• 86 - Failed - Increase on Cigarette Tax
• 87 - Failed - Funding for alternative forms of energy
• 88 - Failed - Property Parcel Tax to fund for Education
• 89 - Failed - Campaign Finance Restrictions, including a corporate tax increase
• 90 - Failed - Eminent Domain and Environmental Law Enforcement Restrictions

Sournce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_California_ballot_propositions_2000-present

[muleskinner]

s/b 2004 ballot initiatives.

Voters overwhelmingly defeated Proposition 76, the governor's centerpiece proposal to slow the growth of state spending. Proposition 77, which would have redrawn legislative and congressional districts, was knocked down by a similar margin.Failing by slimmer spreads were Proposition 74, a plan to make teachers work longer to achieve tenure, and Proposition 73, which would have restricted political spending by public employee unions. Poll after poll showed it was an election that Californians didn't want, with a total lineup of eight initiatives that didn't connect with everyday issues such as gas prices, housing costs and the war in Iraq. Schwarzenegger's conflict with the unions made him a target for teachers, nurses and firefighters. Their television advertising blitz helped push his popularity ratings to record lows. Union leaders and Democrats who opposed the governor chanted "sweep, sweep" at their Sacramento victory party