We have $5,011,000,000 in loans out of $11,122,000,000 in total loans+reductions+new taxes. That's 45% loans!
We have $2,951,000,000 in various new taxes, and $760,000,000 in better tax collection &c, 28.4% of the total.
So, as you can see, cuts are a truly miniscule part of this budget. Worse, these relatively minor cutbacks and tax increases are only going to take care of about half of the $23 billion gap.
He loves bonds, because he will be long gone while we're still paying off his follies. He was hoping he'd be in the White House by the time it hit the fan. Fortunately, I think these messes eliminate any White House prospects he might have had. I say fortunately, because the guy is dangerous; he lets crises fester until they get really, really bad. Both the power crisis and the budget crisis show, in my opinion, that he's unfit to govern.
I talked to a Davis supporter on this issue a few weeks ago, and he said that government moves slowly and so Davis shouldn't be blamed. He's right that government moves slowly, which is all the more reason to have someone who personally knows how to move fast and act promptly. If you can't act promptly - and Davis can't - you don't give government the time it needs to act and solve problems.
D
loans are nearly half the total!
I wish I could count on our legislators not to pass a budget with so many loans and new taxes (all under various names), but the Assembly and state Senate are both about 2/3 liberals, and many like Davis. Because of term limits, the bond repayments will continue much longer than their jobs, too.
a Davis supporter on this issue a few weeks ago ... said that government moves slowly
Davis has been in government for a very long time. He should have forseen and prevented the many crises if he were competent. I can't wait for his term to end. If he gets re-elected, he should be recalled for malfeasance and incompetence (corruption, mismanagement, and overspending).
CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTIONAbout 8.3852 million total votes were cast for governor in 1998. The 98 election might have been more interesting (Boxer vs. Fong for Senator plus Davis vs. Lungren for Governor), but the electorate has grown since then.
ARTICLE 2 VOTING, INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM, AND RECALL
SEC. 14. (a) Recall of a state officer is initiated by delivering to the Secretary of State a petition alleging reason for recall. Sufficiency of reason is not reviewable. Proponents have 160 days to file signed petitions.
(b) A petition to recall a statewide officer must be signed by electors equal in number to 12 percent of the last vote for the office, with signatures from each of 5 counties equal in number to 1 percent of the last vote for the office in the county. Signatures to recall Senators, members of the Assembly, members of the Board of Equalization, and judges of courts of appeal and trial courts must equal in number 20 percent of the last vote for the office.
(c) The Secretary of State shall maintain a continuous count of the signatures certified to that office.
Assuming the same number vote this year, 12% of that is about 1.006 million voters, or about the number of voters who supported Simon in March. Many more are dissatisfied with Davis already, and others will be dismayed when they see their vehicle license fees next year.
I really hope Simon wins, but if he doesn't, we still have a good chance at a successful recall of Davis.