Schwarzenegger delivers digit-driven budget blast

SacBee: Capitol Alert ^ | 7/2/9 | Jim Sanders

[SmithL]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used the finger Thursday for his latest attack on the Legislature.

The governor said he can't understand why the Democrat-controlled Legislature opposes his budget-related proposal to require fingerprinting of recipients of in-home support services, which help elderly, blind and disabled Californians live independently.

"That's why I don't understand the Legislature," he said in a Los Angeles press conference.

Schwarzenegger's fingerprinting proposal, part of a package of governmental changes he seeks in budget negotiations, is meant to help detect fraud committed by people receiving aid under numerous identities.

"(Legislators) say this is an insult," Schwarzenegger said. "I say why is it an insult when you get fingerprinted?"

"I've just been fingerprinted, with my notary public coming to me with a book and saying, 'Governor, let me take your thumb,' and then fingerprinted me, put it next to the signature. I didn't feel insulted. I'm the governor of the state of California, I didn't feel insulted.

"When you get a teaching job, you get fingerprinted. When you get a loan for your house, you get fingerprinted. You get fingerprinted for a lot of things. Why is it all of a sudden an insult when you go to an in-home patient and ask them to be fingerprinted to make sure we get rid of the fraud and abuse?"

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg dismissed the governor's comments, countering that some IHSS clients are severely disabled.

"I think there is a distinction between fingerprinting workers and fingerprinting someone who may be a quadriplegic -- and I'm not sure that that particular reform is necessary," Steinberg said. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is that we come to a reasonable compromise around IHSS reform. And we will do so."

[freedumb2003]

These liberal people have a vested interest in continued fraud — it expands the pie which expands their power.

[Slapshot68]

It’s only during a financial crisis does CA (or any other state for that matter) care about giving out money to those who shouldn’t get it.

[ClearCase_guy]

Republicans should use the words "fraud", "traitor", "criminal" and "unAmerican" when discussing Democrat legislative agendas.

They should also gratuitously thrown in references to birth certificates for no earthly reason at all.

[Deo volente]

They're all at each other’s throats now.
According to the L.A. Times, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (an ultra-liberal, of course) stormed out of the governor's office “clearly distraught, and walked briskly down the hall”, saying “He broke it. He should fix it...nothing more to say.”

Just pathetic...

[jiggyboy]

We have to get fingerprinted for a driver’s license too. And therefore probably for a California ID Card as well, which is what blind, disabled, etc. people might have instead.

[acoulterfan]

One would think that the disabled would rather not be sharing their entitlements with fraudsters. I doubt the disabled are the ones “up in arms over this”.

[6ppc]

When you get a loan for your house, you get fingerprinted.

Huh??? What is he talking about?

[SmithL]

You can’t get a mortgage without having your signature notarized, and that requires a fingerprint in Califoria.

[4Liberty]

If you don’t pay your CA & Fed taxes, you get hammered

If you don’t obey immigration laws, you get... Subsidies.