CA: Davis' budget shows who has, and doesn't have, real clout

Sac Bee ^ | 1/21/03 | Dan Walters

[NormsRevenge]

If nothing else, California's budget crisis is another opportunity to determine who has -- and who doesn't have -- real clout in the Capitol.

It will be an exercise in political gamesmanship, not one in objective priority-setting, and whether one form of spending or one kind of taxation is "better" than another will have little or nothing to do with what's finally decreed. In the main, interest groups that have clout will suffer less as Gov. Gray Davis and the Legislature close a huge income-outgo gap, and those who don't have it will bear a greater share of the budgetary burden. The most successful players will be those who have built the "three-legged stool" of political action -- knowledgeable lobbyists with access to decision-makers, a program of regular, substantial campaign contributions, and an effective public opinion strategy based on grassroots organizing and clever use of media.

[NormsRevenge]

The state's huge prison system, meanwhile, would shoulder almost no budget cuts.

[joltinjoe]

I used to work at a large public university in Northern CA. There is so much money wasted that they should be cut...They could start by cutting all the Deans and Associate Deans of Diversity at about $100k/year. Then they could get rid of the gay/lesbian/bisexual studies departments.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Not unexpectedly, therefore, Davis wants to take another big bite out of local governments.

Davis is acting more and more like a revenue black hole every day. As his density increases so does the spin.

[Arthalion]

Sigh...

The California Community Colleges have always been one of the bright spots in the California educational system. NO other program in the state has proven to be nearly as effective at taking skill-less post highschoolers, welfare moms, and people with outdated work skills and turning them into productive, self-supporting, tax-paying citizens. Our two year, vocational, and compressed programs are specifically designed to teach people a skill and get them into the workforce without the unneeded classes and liberal brainwashing that's part of the required curricula at the major uni's . To have to take a budget hit like this, when many newly unemployed need us the most, is disheartening. What's worse, Gray Doofus just forced us to raise our tuition from $11 per unit to $24 per unit. Is this money going to help us offset the budget cuts? Nope, EVERY PENNY of the increase is going into the general fund to help cover the budget mess. So not only will our students have to deal with reduced program and class availability this fall, they'll have to pay more to do it.

Personally, I think there's another big reason behind the cuts. The CC system is divided into districts that are controlled by locally elected boards, and are therefore quite a bit more conservative and goal-oriented than our UC and CSU bretheren. Though not exactly a bastion of conservatism, the CCC campuses are more reflective of the normal people who populate them, and often turn out people with a stronger work ethic and a drive to succeed. Red Davis doesn't like ANY of this, and so uses us as a handy whipping boy.

[truth_seeker]

California will soon rely on Smokers and SUV registrants, for most of the revenue; such revenue being subsequently deployed to warn folks of the harms from smoking and SUVs.

Is it legal to grow tobacco?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

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[Carry_Okie]

According to the Legislature's budget analyst, Elizabeth Hill, Davis' 2003-04 budget would slash state spending on community colleges by 24.5 percent while making only token cuts, less than 5 percent, in state support of the University of California and the state college and university system.

Note to the poor folks: The Community College System has been your historic route to better paying careers whether in trades or as a door to the University. It has been the means to correct your miserable high school education. It represents a second chance in life.

It's the Slave Party that cuts it, in favor of the well to do. All the while they TALK about jobs, jobs, jobs.

Bastards; and the Republicans will be too stupid to grab it.

[Dog Gone]

cannot muster the world-class prestige of the University of California

Isn't that the same university that has so horribly mismanaged the nation's research labs at Livermore and Los Alamos?

[angelbaby1111]

I disregard everything Dan Walters says. You know why? He and his loser paper endorsed Goobernor Davis in the election last year. He and The Sacramento Bee endorsed this loser over Bill Simon. I honestly think Californians should sue him, The Bee, The L.A. Times, The S.F. Chronicle and others who knew who Davis was and endorsed him anyway. It was no secret CA was over $25 billion dollars in debt. How could any legitimate business endorse a man who did this poorly his first 4 years on the job. It is because politics is their religion and they will do anything for it. Hypocrites! God help my beloved state of California.

[Carry_Okie]

Yep, the same world-class university that puts 300 kids in a hall for a Physics lecture, with a professor that hardly speaks English.

[Dog Gone]

I took one class at a California community college in a summer session. The professor was excellent, and the course was challenging (I'm not a natural whiz at math).

I thought it was very valuable, and I would hate to see the community college system slashed.

[snopercod]

[W]hen you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing - when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors - when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you - when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice - you may know that your society is doomed.

--Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 1957

[mom3boys]

Yup, I can vouch for that. Half of my professors in engineering had such thick accents, I couldn't understand them. I'm of Asian descent (Filipino), have been here for 30 years and barely have an accent (some say I don't have one). Everyday I am thankful I live in, and am a citizen of, such a great country, the United Staes. I'm also thankful everyday that I no longer live in California!!

[copycat]

The state's huge prison system, meanwhile, would shoulder almost no budget cuts.

The state could save a bundle on housing inmates if they would take the simple step of releasing the non-violent pot-smokers to intervention programs.