[calif_reaganite]

One of the keys things to notice is:

The combined rate of population growth and inflation will be: 4.2%

Revenues will grow by: 6.7%

Spending, however, will go up by: 7.4%

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks for posting this.

[ken21]

in a perfect world mclintock would be governor.

but california is far from perfect.

i moved out because i could no longer afford to live there.

[alwaysconservative]

Excellent article! Thanks for posting it!

[jscd3]

Forty years ago, in 1964, when California admirably met the needs of its people, it spent $202 per person from both general and special funds. That’s $1,160 adjusting for inflation. $1,160. You are about to vote on a budget that spends $2,878 per person. And let me ask you – where are the roads, where are the aqueducts, where are the power plants, where are the top-flight schools and universities that our parents delivered 40 years ago?

I'm not from California, but this is the kind of question that ought to be asked in every state a lot more often than it is.

[Quix]

Did Arnie cave in to the special interests or

were the DIMRATS in the legislature toooo powerful to get something effective done?

[BradyLS]

Forty years ago, in 1964, when California admirably met the needs of its people, it spent $202 per person from both general and special funds. That’s $1,160 adjusting for inflation. $1,160. You are about to vote on a budget that spends $2,878 per person. And let me ask you – where are the roads, where are the aqueducts, where are the power plants, where are the top-flight schools and universities that our parents delivered 40 years ago?

Once the human locusts have fed and reduced California to baren stubble, they'll take flight and look for the greener fields that her productive expatriots have fled to.

[elbucko]

Thanks for the article. I supported McClintock in the recall. I'm glad he is still fighting the good fight.

[Prime Choice]

Excellent piece. McClintock knows his stuff and has a genuine knack for demonstrating -- in layman's terms -- why this budget deficit is no way to go.

[dpwiener]

Thanks for posting this. I'm fortunate to have Tom as my State Senator, but he's just one man up against the political establishment of both major parties. I don't have much hope left for California, so I'm looking at other states to move to.

[EGPWS]

One of the keys things to notice is:

The combined rate of population growth and inflation will be: 4.2%

Revenues will grow by: 6.7%

Spending, however, will go up by: 7.4%

To a liberal that just means that inflation and revenues aren't keeping up with spending.

[TomasUSMC]

So, Arnold is increasing the deficit from 4 to 5 billion?

[Reagan Man]

Tom McClintock is a Reagan conservative. Arnold Schwarzenegger, AKA. GovRino, is a Kennedy liberal.

While McClintock continues to preach the politics of fiscal responsibility found in the conservative agenda, GovRino continues to play on the political margins, with little success in reducing spending, reducing the budget deficit and reducing state debt overall. If this continues, increases in state income taxes are around the corner.

[DoughtyOne]

It seems rather odd to me that McClintock would take to the floor of the senate on the eve of information coming out of Schwarzenegger's Budget Analysis Committee, revealing that suggestions for massing state staffing cuts, elimination of over 100 state commissions, and a rather heathy cut in state spending.

In effect McClintock's words were dated within 24 hours of them being uttered.

Let's presume the worst. Let's say none of these cuts take place. McClintock will come out looking pretty good. But if there are significant cuts, California's state employees are cut significantly, the budget is cut between $5 and $10 bilion per year and over 100 state commissions are disolved, then Tom's not going to come out looking pretty good.

Tom has gone on the record trashing Schwarzenegger's efforts to turn state politics around. If Schwarzenegger does turn state politics around, does bring spending under control, does balance the budget and pay down the debt, Tom's prognositications are going to ring hollow throughout the state and beyond.

Time will tell. I'll be rooting for Schwarzenegger's plan to work. I guess that makes me a star-struck person. I should probably join the others and hope like hell the predictions of his disasterous failures come true.

We'll see how things look by 2006. If things work out as Tom has predicted, perhaps I'll be voting for him in the 2006 primaries. If not, he's not going to have much political pull on me at the ballot box.

[doug9732]

We have McClintock's word for it that things are getting even worse on Arnold's watch. Is he correct? I don't know, but would appreciate reading an objective opinion of where California finances are really heading. Selective use of numbers can often be used to mislead the unwary.

[Logical me]

I guess you haven't got the latest. Gov Arnold is downsizing government. Some of his proposals are:

Eliminate 12,000 state jobs through attrition.
Combine 11 state agencies and 79 department into 11 departments.
Merge 25 state entities into one CA Infrastructure Department.
Gain higher lottery proceeds by joining other states lottery payouts.
Cut travel cost by booking airline via Internet.
Merge 20 state entities in new Department of Education.
Abolish county superintendent offices and county boards of education.
Eliminate 118 of 389 boards and commissions in executive branch.
Raise out-of-state colleges and university fee.

These estimated five year savings will result in 13 billion in general government, 7.6 billion in public safety, 6.4 billion in statewide operations, 4.9 billion in health and human services, 4.1 billion in education and training, 3.3 billion in inrractructure. These are just a tip of the iceberg with so much change in the wind that just give it a chance. Wait until the voters get a chance to redistrict to get rid of the Sacramento dead weight politicians.

[SteveH]

Where are Arnie's Angels when he needs them these days???

;-)

[GrandMoM]

BUMP

[1_Inch_Group]

I can't help but think about the 5 billion dollar hole that CA is in because of the illegals taking and not giving.

Wonder if that's the same 5 billion?

Nah, couldn't be.

So if we deport all the illegal teat sucking leaches...we'd be even for the year?

Nah, couldn't be.

[Lancey Howard]

Great post!
Tom McClintock BUMP!

[goldstategop]

We need to put a TABOR-style spending limit into the State Constitution. Until then we are cursed to live with champagne tastes on a beer budget.