Posted on 08/20/2008 10:09:12 AM PDT by calcowgirl
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken on an unlikely role as one of the Capitol's most steadfast champions of a tax hike, spurning his fellow Republicans' uncharacteristic effort to borrow their way out of budget trouble.
In an interview with The Times on Tuesday afternoon -- 50 days into the new fiscal year -- Schwarzenegger said resistance to tax hikes had led GOP lawmakers down a reckless path. He said they wanted to balance the budget by raiding local governments and public transportation accounts for billions of dollars. That money, under state law, would have to be repaid with steep interest.
The governor, who came to Sacramento promising never to raise taxes, now wants to raise the sales tax temporarily. If Republicans agree, he said, they would get, in return, Democratic support for future spending restraints.
"I think the sweet spot is a sales tax increase," Schwarzenegger said in the interview, "with the Democrats compromising on the budget reform in such a way that we have a real spending limit here. . . . Not everyone sees it that way. That's what I see."
Republicans say the governor's proposed spending controls, which would force lawmakers to put more money into a reserve, are inadequate. They want to prohibit state spending from growing faster than the population and inflation.
One of the governor's first big moves in office was cobbling together a plan to bail the state out of its last budget crisis, with more than $10 billion in borrowing. Despite pledges never to take that path again, the governor agreed this year to borrow $3 billion more. Now, he says, he is closing that door.
"We still haven't paid off the money we borrowed in 2003," Schwarzenegger said. "How can you go and borrow more? It is irresponsible."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
This Nazi would make a perfect VP for Barry.
“I think the sweet spot is a sales tax increase,”
Schwarzenegger is such a lying POS!
Governor Borrow-and-Spend has joined with democrats since day one in raiding funds and borrowing at max levels. The word “Cut” was abandoned the day after he was first elected.
Now he completely undermines that possibility by joining with the Dems in badmouthing pubbies.
I’m so glad we have a “Republican” Governor to solve our fiscal crisis. /s
Don’t believe a word when Democrats promise “spending restraints”. We need to encourage the GOP in California to oppose Swartzentaxer. Cut spending NOW should be the mantra!
Reduce spending, Arnie. That’s what we working folks have to do.
(snip)SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is slated for a prime-time speaking slot on the opening night of the Republican National Convention in September, along with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, according to sources familiar with his plans.
Schwarzenegger, whose theme is expected to be the story of John McCain's life, brings rare star power to the GOP lineup. He is also more moderate politically than the typical Republican convention delegate.
There is no funding that can be cut? I guess there is no politically insensitive funding that can be cut, and politics always trumps economics and integrity (”burn the village to save it”, “enemy of enemy is friend”, “freedom is not free - in fact I have the price tag right here”, etc). The left is only enabled by the moral weakness of the center.
I don't believe the Democrats OR Arnold. (Oh, wait... that's redundant, right?)
From the article:
Republicans say the governor's proposed spending controls, which would force lawmakers to put more money into a reserve, are inadequate.
Arnold is worse than Gray Davis. At least Gray Davis was honest in his corruption and did what he promised.
Schwarzenegger said resistance to tax hikes had led GOP lawmakers down a reckless path.
—
Huh?
This Austrian import Trojan Horse needs to fumigated. The rot is quite apparent. He is infested with Kennedy beetles.
Schwarzenegger’s a liberal girly man who doesn’t know how to deal with and say NO to the liberal red-diaper-doper babies, who, as Reagan said, have a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
NO!!!!!!
Between sales tax, property tax and fees, etc. (NOT counting any income taxes) I’m paying over 30% of my income.
NOOO!!
The age of the looters and the moochers.
Very sad...
and to think of all the hard work that went into getting Gray Davis removed just to be betrayed by the GOP and this POS.
Well, just as I’ve said before, by the time RINOld leaves office, there will be such a mess left behind that it may be another 8-10 years before the GOP will be able to get another governor elected in CA.
Isn’t this guy’s name really Arnold Shriver-Kennedy? A bigger disappointment you will not find. Living in California and having to put up with this guy’s continual line of BS has been terrible. I certainly agree, that with Grey Davis at least we were not subjected to the perpetual snow job of Arnold.
well, at least with Davis, you KNEW he was a flaming liberal...
this guy tried to pass himself off as a fiscal conservative and a social liberal in 2003 eventhough I KNEW, at the time, that that was “fiscally” impossible...ya gotta pay for all those social programs somehow.
BUT THIS! Hell, he’s got a friggin’ line item veto pen in his desk drawer! USE IT!
and to add insult to injury, it was just a few years ago that they had a HUGE BUDGET SURPLUS of BILLIONS that they didn’t know what to do with!!!
geeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzz...I swear, we’ve got Larry, Moe & Curley running the show in Sacramento!
Schwarzenegger is currently negotiating with lawmakers to end California’s nearly two-month budget standoff. He said last week that he would not attend the convention if there is no spending plan in place when the convention begins on Sept. 1, which is Labor Day.
With a little bit of luck, Schwarznegger won’t show up at the GOP convention, as the budget may not be fixed by then.
>>Isn’t this guy’s name really Arnold Shriver-Kennedy? A bigger disappointment you will not find.>>
What did you expect, a conservative running CA? Hoping doesn’t make it happen. Arnie is weak morally.
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