McClintock Responds to Bustamante's "Tough on California" Plan

Tom McClintock for Governor ^ | 8/20/2003 | Tom McClintock

[kellynla]

Senator Tom McClintock today issued the following response to Cruz Bustamante's "tough on California" statement.

"I was hoping for more of a message of hope and optimism from our Lt. Governor. What California received was more of the failed Gray Davis type leadership from the second most powerful person in the state. When the Lt. Governor says we have to 'sacrifice' he is not kidding. Unfortunately, it is the hard-working, taxpaying families of California that will suffer and not his special interest and public employee union friends.

"At a time when state government is taking a higher percentage of California's personal income than at any time in our history, Mr. Bustamante proposes a TEN BILLION dollar tax increase. This will mean that working families and small businesses will have to find another $1,150 somewhere in their budgets to continue the Sacramento spending spree.

"Much like Governor Davis, who called his illegal tripling of the car tax a 'cut' in state spending, Mr. Bustamante includes the transfer of some $2 BILLION of mandated socialized medicine costs to small businesses as a 'savings' for the state.

"As for my three simple questions that I asked of Cruz this week, it is obvious that he will not join with me in abolishing the car tax, since he is only willing to return about half of what Gray Davis illegally took from motorists. There was nothing tough on energy—as he said nothing about the $42 billion of overpriced power contracts.

"Finally, there was certainly nothing tough on the applicant attorneys and special interests since he did not mention the third major crisis of the Davis administration. My plan to replace California’s broken Workers’ Comp system with the successful Arizona model would save state and local governments at least $2.5 billion annually.

"It’s time Cruz Bustamante explains why we should vote no on the recall but support him for governor. He can’t have it both ways. If he thinks Davis' dismal record is worth defending, he should make that case. If he really wants to replace him, how would he do things differently?"

[pogo101]

Thank heavens Cruz went hard left. I was afraid he would lie even more by doing a 1992 Clinton ("I'm a CENTRIST Democrat! not like those assembly members who left the mikes on in Sacramento! oh no!).

CRUZ "YOU'RE UNDERTAXED" BUSTAMANTE!

What a loser he is ....

[Carry_Okie]

The power contracts are not part of the budget and cost the State relatively little.

I want HIM to get this specific, and lets see his numbers.

He has to dribble that information because his competitors (particularly Bill Simon, who just ripped off McClintock's fix on our workman's comp disaster) keep picking them up and using them as if they were their own.

The interest cost on $42 billion in bonds is "relatively little"???

Maybe you can pay my mortgage for me since it's such a pittance?

[kellynla]

We all not it's "not that simple"...but it can and will be done or else. Every family in America has had to cut expenses at one time or another. So if we can do it there's no reason why Sacramento can't. As Mac explained you take the 98 budget and take off 9.5 percent off the top. Heck, the state of CA has HIRED 42 THOUSAND NEW EMPLOYESS SINCE THE FIRST OF THE YEAR WHILE THE PRIVATE SECTOR HAS LOST 21K NET JOBS! And you're gonna tell me there isn't room for cuts? LOL

[Carry_Okie]

The interest cost on $42 billion in bonds is "relatively little"???

Excuse the typo, it's $12 billion in bonds, so far, $42 billion in contracts.

[RS]

"How about cutting free sex change operations or money spent on consultants "teaching tolerance"? "

I wouldn't bet my reputation that there is a line item reading -

ITEM 12345A Free sex change operations
or
ITEM 98765h Consultants to Teach Tolerance

That he would be able to line out - my guess is that they are buried in Medical or Education Budgets as line items that he could not simply cross out.

[RS]

"He has to dribble that information because his competitors (particularly Bill Simon, who just ripped off McClintock's fix on our workman's comp disaster) keep picking them up and using them as if they were their own.

The interest cost on $42 billion in bonds is "relatively little"??? "

As a legislator who supposedly cares about the people why has he not been shouting the needed fixes from the rooftops?

The Power Bond issues are NOT part of the State Budget at all, they are paid from your power bill. The relatively little portion of it is what the State itself pays for power- that is the only savings the State would see as part of it's budget.

[kellynla]

The waste, fraud and abuse that is rampant in CA is easily ten percent of the budget. If you live here, you would know that eliminating the fraud in CA welfare and workers' comp alone would save the state BILLIONS!

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

RS, your examples sound like the "Washington Monument" strategy that is used so often. Its not questioned, and has unfortunately creeped into our culture. When we speak of cuts, immediately the bad guys talk about-and stop me if you've heard this before-Police, Fire, Roads, and of course The Children. This state actually turned off the sprinkler system years back at their schools in order to turn the lawns brown (I think this was during Prop 13 battling) meanwhile they were replacing carpeting inside in order to meet their budget spending so they didn't lose money the next year.

Its a giant shell game, we could cut half the state budget and not get into those 4 things, and everyone knows it. They want to fool us into being scared to cut ANYTHING by talking about "the children" (sounds like somebody's platform.)

Don't be fooled anymore. Its your money.

[carton253]

That's a real strong candidate you have there. What can be done to get his numbers up so he has a chance to win?

[RS]

"And you're gonna tell me there isn't room for cuts? "
-

Never did, I just want HIM to tell me where his cuts would be.

[RS]

"Its a giant shell game, we could cut half the state budget and not get into those 4 things, and everyone knows it. "

Yep, so let HIM say what he will cut,

Why not simply take a copy of the budget and red pencil it ? He says he KNOWS where to save the money - lets see his plan.

[mewzilla]

Can the legislature override the veto?

[kellynla]

"Voiding the Contracts saves little government money?" The electrical contracts amount to 42 BILLION DOLLARS! You call that very litte money? Where exactly do you live? The cost is devasting not only to government operations, business but also to every resident!!! Nothing happens without electricity...you saw that in NY and the whole Northeast!

[RS]

"If you live here, you would know that eliminating the fraud in CA welfare and workers' comp alone would save the state BILLIONS!"


I'm looking at the welfare budget and I don't see ...

ITEM 34564 Fraud and Waste

for him to kill with the line item veto.


Workers comp would save businesses money ( they pay it )
It would not help the budget unless they money they are paying gets taken for something else.

[Carry_Okie]

As a legislator who supposedly cares about the people why has he not been shouting the needed fixes from the rooftops?

He has. The mediots have squelched it. They wouldn't put his name in early polls, even when he was outpulling Simon. Now they can't ignore him.

The Power Bond issues are NOT part of the State Budget at all, they are paid from your power bill.

I honestly don't think that the $12 billion dollar issue was a Revenue Bond; it was a carryover for the State Budget that was driven by State power purchases. They had bought excessive spot power in the market at peak prices, sold it at a massive loss, and then had to cover the difference. I'll ping Earnest on it to see if he has the reference.

[kellynla]

"That's a real strong candidate you have there. What can be done to get his numbers up so he has a chance to win?" BTW Mac has surged from fifth to third place in one week while Aunold has lost HALF of his poll numbers in two weeks. If you would like to help you can make a donation to Tom McClintock @ http://www.tommcclintock.com

[RS]

""Voiding the Contracts saves little government money?" The electrical contracts amount to 42 BILLION DOLLARS! You call that very litte money? "

You just don't seem to understand that those contracts are NOT part of the State Budget - they are paid by ratepayers.

The portion the State would save would be only on the electricity the State itself uses.

I would HOPE McClintock understands this....

[carton253]

In regards to the polls. I'm glad to see McClintock surge. But even as Arnold's numbers slip, they have done so because he has a huge target on his back and more importantly, he hasn't answered his critics.

Now begins his campaign. His commercials and his plans to save the state will start to be made known, not by the media, but by Arnold himself.

If after this, Arnold's numbers continue to fall, then McClintock may have a chance... but can he win against Bustamonte... I guess the most important question is, will the Republicans rally to him en masse.

[DoctorZIn]

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[kellynla]

"I'm looking at the welfare budget and I don't see ...
ITEM 34564 Fraud and Waste"... You really are wasting my time now if you don't believe that there is wasteful spending in the CA state budget. And that like all families, the state of CA can't cut 10 percent off the top of it's expenditures for two years to bring the budget into balance. Have a good day.