Posted on 08/23/2008 4:45:36 AM PDT by RKV
Some things never change in the Golden State. Weeks into the fiscal year, California still has no budget and faces a Pacific Ocean-sized $15 billion deficit. On Wednesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offered a "compromise" plan that kicks the legs out from his own party with a big new sales tax increase. "It's time to put ideology aside," he insisted. [Arnold Schwarzenegger]
Now he faces a revolt from Republicans in the legislature who think this is precisely the time to be ideological. "Any tax increase plan won't pass with Republican votes -- absolutely not," a defiant Mike Villines, minority leader of the state assembly, told me shortly after the governor's scheme was announced. Mr. Schwarzenegger wants to raise the sales tax by one percentage point, which in jurisdictions like Los Angeles would raise the total sales levy to 10% -- one of the highest in the nation.
He and his colleagues offer their own solution. First, no new taxes in a state that already has nearly the highest income and sales tax burden in the country. Second, a "hard" budget cap that limits spending increases to the rate of inflation plus population growth. Under Governor Arnold, in contrast, the budget has grown 40% in just four years.
Mr. Villines' Republican lawmakers face a stacked deck in the Democratic liberal majority, their own GOP governor, and the California media. Assembly Republicans walked out of a meeting with the governor earlier this week when he started talking new taxes, but Democrats desperately wanted an income tax increase, so Mr. Schwarzenegger views a sales tax hike as a down-the-middle "compromise."
This may be a war California conservatives can win for once in their tax-and-spend state. With gas prices, food prices, unemployment and mortgage foreclosures all rising in the Golden State, he may be right.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Har. I get it!
“Movie Stars. Is there anything they don’t know?” ~ Homer Simpson
This boob is giving a speech at the GOP convention.......
Thanks for that, Diana. I have never seen the Simpsons. Guess I should backfill.
“Recall Arnold.”
Absolutely! California needs Gray Davis back at the helm.
No, it was Tom McClintock who could have prevented this nonsense. But some RINOs decided that Arnie was the guy, including many so-called conservatives here.
I don’t think so. Last I heard the Governator wasn’t leaving the state until he had a budget.
Too right!
Buyers remorse in California. Maybe they would have been better off keeping Grey Davis.
Republican means democrat now.
I think you have your facts wrong. The real Republicans in the Legislature are holding the line against tax increases this year. It takes a 2/3rds majority to pass a budget, and they’re all that stands between Californians and European levels of taxation.
“Under Governor Arnold, in contrast, the budget has grown 40% in just four years.”
Didn’t Arnie run on a campaign of fiscal discipline?
It doesn’t matter. The Marxist in the CA state legislature fully intend on letting illegals take over the state and drag it down into 3rd world status anyways, no matter who the governor is.
No Davis was WORSE, even though that’s hard to believe. RINO remorse.
Arnold is amazing!
How do you improve a slumping economy? Raise taxes! I’d never thought of that. He’s a superstar. While you’re at it arnie, give more stuff to illegals. He’s on a roll.
We’d be in better shape if the Federal government did it’s job and defended our borders. Well Pres. Arbusto (and his predecessors, to be fair) figured they wanted campaign cash from their rich illegal alien employing supporters, and didn’t give a shit about the other 85% of Americans, so we got open borders and a welfare state. Bad combo.
CUT SPENDING AND KICK OUT ALL THE ILLEGALS IN YOUR STATE!! GET IT?
You’re right. Arnie never was a republican/conservative. Why did the GOP pick him? All the GOP wanted was a win. Didn’t McClintock get more votes than bustemante? He’d have won big if arnie hadn’t shown up. It’s the GOP’s fault, but we pay.
Hope the conservatives can kill this.
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