California: Democrats' state budget is an exercise in Enron-style flimflam

Sacramento Bee ^ | July 2, 2002 | Dan Walters

[John Jorsett]

Enron, WorldCom and a flock of lesser corporate lights are in big trouble these days for overstating revenues, hiding liabilities and in other ways presenting a false picture of their financial health to investors.

And what's the difference between what these corporate miscreants have been doing and what Gov. Gray Davis and Democratic legislators propose in their new budget? Zip. Zero. Nada.

[John Jorsett]

Ping

[NormsRevenge]

The 2002-03 budget that cleared the state Senate on Saturday but stalled in the Assembly is a bad budget. It's not bad because it spends too much, as Republicans complain, or too little, as some liberals maintain. It's not bad because its new taxes are too low, or too high. It's bad because it's fundamentally dishonest, ignores the multi-billion-dollar deficits that loom for years to come, and thus is a recipe for even more fiscal flimflam.

Ah shucks, Dan, We're friends. Tell us what ya really think of this me$$ the taXpayers get stuck cleaning up this time :-? Nigh' Nigh' GraYout..The greaT ImPosTor
DUMP DAVI$ & the Den of Socialists



GO SIMON

[daviddennis]

This budget is a freeze?

Then why was last years' $80 billion and this years' $98 billion? That's almost a $20 billion increase in a year, which makes me think that if we had an honest freeze, holding the line on everything, we'd be very close to a solution to this mess.

D

[goldstategop]

Mr. Walters, politicians - especially LIBERAL politicians - are NOT subject to the rules governing mere mortals at Enron and World.com. And if the Rats in Sacramento want to pad the books to make themselves and Governor Gray Davis look good, who is going to stop them? Sure its an irresponsible way of managing the state's long term fiscal future but its also terrific politics. The one thing any politician hates is doling out pain. They're kicking this mess in Sacramento down the road so to speak and hope that with a bit of fudging here and massaging there all the problems will soon go away. If only Enron and World.com could have gotten away with a fraction of what the government does they would still be in business.