Dan Walters: Budget stalemate hardens as Davis hunts, in vain, for four GOP votes

Sac Bee ^ | 7/12/02 | Dan Walters

[NormsRevenge]

It's almost a Capitol tradition for the state Senate to approve state budgets on some sort of bipartisan basis and thus bring pressure to bear on the more fractious Assembly to follow suit, which it usually does.

The pattern seemed to be repeating itself this year when, nearly a fortnight ago, the Senate approved a $99 billion budget that uses spending cuts, many billions of dollars of new debt and several billion dollars in new taxes to cover a massive deficit. Termed-out Sen. Maurice Johannessen, R-Redding, broke ranks to provide the one GOP vote that Gov. Gray Davis and Democratic leaders needed for the budget in the Senate.

[NormsRevenge]

DUMP DAVI$ & the Den of Socialists

GO SIMON

[Dales]

Termed-out Sen. Maurice Johannessen, R-Redding, broke ranks to provide the one GOP vote that Gov. Gray Davis and Democratic leaders needed for the budget in the Senate.

And

Everyone in the Capitol assumes that two termed-out Republicans, David Kelley of Idyllwild and Richard Dickerson of Redding, are ready to back the budget.

Aren't term limits grand?

A term limited politician no longer has a vested interest in listening to his or her constituents. But they do have a vested interest in cozying up to those who might hire them after they leave their job.

[Dales]

And more:

Much of the speculation has centered on the two Republicans who joined with Kelley and Dickerson last year to approve a budget. But those two -- Anthony Pescetti of Rancho Cordova and Mike Briggs of Fresno -- don't appear to be cooperating.

Both are leaving the Legislature after this year. Pescetti reportedly has his eye on the state Senate seat now held by Rico Oller of San Andreas (particularly if Oller runs for Congress in 2004) and must maintain his GOP credentials.

[goldstategop]

The Rats are shopping for Republican turncoat votes. They may get them but the turncoats won't have a future in GOP politics and the whole mess will be replayed out again next year when there are no elections and no voters to face. GrayDown and the Rats problem is the state budget is an unrealistic document that's full of Enron style accounting gimmicks and heavy on tax increases and short on real spending cuts. I'd say Republicans should hang the Rats with this budget on the condition that the Constitution be amended to bar a state personal and corporate income tax. It would be a very effective way to rein in future state spending and the Rats would have agree to a package deal here. Either that or time to face the music and give Californians an honest budget.

[Dog Gone]

"I hate this budget," Florez told the Fresno Bee. "It doesn't raise taxes on the rich and instead raises taxes on people who drive cars. Those are the people who live in my district."

Apparently, "the rich" must ride the bus in Fresno.

[Frohickey]

Gov. Gray Davis: "Be vewy vewy qwiet... I'm hunting RINOs. Hehehehe"

[I_Love_My_Husband]

This is good news:

Republicans continue to hold out, demanding more spending cuts and other changes

[NormsRevenge]

The question is.. For how long? I hope they battle into September at least ...

Between SiMon ads and Budget Fights .. TV will be real interesting this fall, Im shur .. The Repubs can stake a claim for sanity in full view of the public, some of whom may actually vote for the first time ..

HOPE !! and a SUV protest rally to SnackinOnaTamatoE Tomorrow :-) Its all we got for now

[Free the USA]

fyi

[monkeyshine]

They wanna run the rich out of this state. I'm going to be rich someday, and I won't stay here when I am, except as a second home....lol

[monkeyshine]

Exactly why I am against term limits. I was mildly in favor in the past (I wasn't old enough to vote on that issue so it was mute support), but now I am solidly against term limits.

That said, every state senator and assemblyperson who takes a government job after being termed out should be investigated for impropriety during their term... vote selling for a job is a crime.

[monkeyshine]

Constitution be amended to bar a state personal and corporate income tax.

Pipe dream. Maybe we can do it with an initiative drive but it probably won't get more than 30% of the vote.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

I also think having electricity cut off to us Californians as is going to happen certainly soon, will do a lot to further Simon.

[NormsRevenge]

After all the bomb shells that gone off including today, ya wonder how much worse it could get and it's only July :-?

America on its own shores IS Under ATTack .. From terrorists, provocateurs, regimes, political parties, moral decay ..

This IS Unprecedented that our politicians are so incompetent and the dangers and enemies we face are so focused.. Bush needs all our support ..

We sure can;t count on Congre$$ to do the right thing

[djreece]

Maybe we need to figure out a very personal and in-your-face FReep of these sellouts so that future termed-out legislators wouldn't even think of facing the wrath of the voters.

Having personally supported MoJo (Maurice Johannessen--the Senate sellout) in the past, I feel very personally slapped in the face and would welcome the opportunity to tell him to his face.