Schwarzenegger Says Won't Raise Taxes Davis,hand out $53 million in grants to environmental groups

Reuters ^ | Wed August 20, 2003 | Dan Whitcomb

[Hildy]

Would it be all possible to put some kind of stay on what Davis can do until the election? I mean, he can do just about anything he wants, can't he? He has to know he's going to lose.

[DoctorZIn]

PING!

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[Torie]

Ya, the Pubbies last time, this time, really slashed and burned. 100 billion in actual spending was cut to 97 billion or so. Meanwhile, there are all these constitutional spending mandates. The Courts will be chiming in. Do you know how to spell the word INITIATIVE? But that takes time too, for those to pass, if they do, and then for the savings to kick in. Meanwhile, there is no TIME. The sand has run out of the hour glass.

God, I wish someone would blow me away with hard numbers. I would so LOVE to be proven totally wrong.

[Torie]

And spend all of their income on lottery tickets to boot.

[bybybill]

Two points: Unless there are pictures of Arnold with an unhappy goat, he`s in big time. He was a big winner in todays press conference

Everyone is missing the most important and adult thing he said which was that he was going to look at the books and then find out where to cut. He didn`t say that he was going to take a poll or ask his backers which really separates him from Grey Out.

Arie will be the next head of the California zoo. Take it to the bank.

[goldstategop]

"I'm in principle against raising taxes." I hope Arnold follows up by the taking the anti-tax pledge as per John Fund's excellent article in tomorrow's Wall Street Journal. It would do a lot to win over to him skeptical conservatives and it would signal to the public and the Democrats when it comes to reducing the tax burden on California, that the Terminator really means it.

[Princeliberty]

How about firing Buffet and Shultz as advisers.

Shultz was in the Nixon White House and pushed
for Wage and Price controls and higher taxes and
spending.

[Princeliberty]

But anyone with an adviser talking about repealing
Proposition 13 is sounding like someone who
wants to yank up taxes big time to avoid any
real reforms.

[goldstategop]

I think Arnold knows the political math. He just saw Large Breasts propose a program of tax increases. Yeah he didn't take the pledge but he should if nothing else to give himself negotiating leverage with the ultra-lefties in the State Legislature. It may be some taxes may have to be raised down the road as part of an overall deal to cut spending but to signal you're amenable to tax increases isn't giving the Democrats any incentive to compromise. If Arnold means what he says he will take the pledge and ask the public why Large Breasts wouldn't.

[ARCADIA]

The intrim will resolve itself. Once you have a economic strategy worked out the Federal Government will be asked to cover the short term deficit until the Federal solutions kick in. From the state's perspective it is not their responsibility to deal with illegal immigration and leaky borders, nor do they have the tools to protect their industries from the type of predatory dumping practiced by China and others.

California will be forced to cut back expenditures (particularly expenditures associated with illegal aliens), and admit that they have a problem. But, in doing so they will largely admit that they have been harboring, and taking advantage, of a problem created by the Federal authorities.

[HamiltonJay]

Ahnold called for an honest and true Audit... that alone puts him at the head of the pack, because Cali is corrupt from the bottom to the top, and no one knows where the moneys going. Sure there are mandated spending directives that limit flexibility to the budget, but the corruption and waste is everywhere.

Pittsburgh needs the same thing Murphy's laying off people because hes been fiscally irresponsible for what now a decade? And even thought the city is 30Million or whatever in the hole, not one single person in any management position got laid off? Please, there has to be $30-$40 MM in kick back positions and cronies alone in this cities government.

[ambrose]

Ahnold WILL raise taxes, bigtime. He'll do it for the childrun. Take it to the bank.

[Cultural Jihad]

Schwarzenegger talks tough, describes approach

Published 11:12 a.m. PDT Wednesday, August 20, 2003

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Recall candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks Wednesday in Los Angeles.

[Updated 4:53 p.m. Aug. 20] LOS ANGELES - Arnold Schwarzenegger said he didn't want to raise taxes but "we can't ever say never" as he stood up to persistent questioning during his first extended campaign press conference Wednesday.

After meeting behind closed doors with an economic team led by billionaire investor Warren Buffett and former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, Schwarzenegger strode into a scene unlike most in a gubernatorial campaign. In a hotel meeting room with enough cameras for a movie premiere, reporters from all corners of the globe shouted questions for 40 minutes on everything from taxes and family leave to Schwarzenegger's relationship with actor Rob Lowe.

Attacked by opponents for not offering specific plans in his 2-week-old campaign to replace Gov. Gray Davis, Schwarzenegger courted more criticism when he said budget cuts would be required to fix California's economy -- but refused to say where he would cut, and insisted voters might not care anyway.

"Let me tell you something, that the public doesn't care about figures, they've heard figures for the past five years, figures and percentages and all those kind of things," he said.

"What the people want to hear is, is are you going to make the changes, are you tough enough to go in there and provide leadership. That's what this is about, and I will be tough enough."

Schwarzenegger said that as governor he would order a 60-day independent audit of the state's books to help him decide where to cut. He said education was not on the table but that he might identify some specific cuts in the seven weeks before the Oct. 7 election.

He also promised to convene a special legislation session focused on reforming workers' compensation and said he wouldn't sign a budget without such reform. He pledged to focus on regulatory reform, energy reform and what he described as the unemployment insurance fund crisis.

Schwarzenegger said he would support a constitutional spending cap and seek to reduce the state's operating deficit while addressing a budget deficit now estimated by the state at $8 billion, but which Schwarzenegger pegged at $12 billion to $20 billion.

With California's credit rating near junk bond levels, Schwarzenegger said he was appointing a working group charged with restructuring the state's debt.

"Now before the carping begins about the need for the 25-point plan on each one of those items, let me make one thing clear, that these problems that I've just mentioned were not created in two weeks, nor will we be able to solve those problems in two weeks," he said.

He said businesses needed to be attracted back to the state to restore California to the vibrancy it enjoyed when he immigrated from Austria. Though he refused to rule out raising taxes in an extreme situation, he said Californians have been overtaxed while Sacramento politicians have overspent.

"I feel that the people of California have been punished enough, from the time they get up in the morning and flush the toilet they're taxed," he said.

Flanked by Buffett and Shultz, Schwarzenegger also reaffirmed his support for California's beloved anti-property tax measure Proposition 13. Buffett caused a controversy last week by making comments critical of Proposition 13.

"I told Warren that if he mentions Prop. 13 one more time he has to do 500 sit-ups," Schwarzenegger joked, as Buffett feinted dropping to the ground to carry out the order.

"I'm a big supporter of Proposition 13," Schwarzenegger said.

Asked his stance on California's landmark family leave law passed under Davis, Schwarzenegger said he would have to look at it. He said Lowe was a friend and supporter, not an adviser as has been reported.

Schwarzenegger held the press conference after meeting for about two hours with Shultz, Buffett and 18 other members of his Economic Recovery Council. Among them were business and political leaders including former California Secretary of State Bill Jones and Michael Boskin, former chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers under former President George H.W. Bush.

"So what's a fellow from Nebraska doing out here in California? Like most things in life there's an emotional reason and a rational reason," Buffett said before the meeting. The emotional reason, he said, was that he's long summered in California. As for the rational reason, "If California has troubles, the country has troubles. If California prospers, the country prospers."

The group met in a cabinet-like setting in an airport hotel conference room, seated around a horseshoe table with Schwarzenegger in front of American and California flags.

-- By Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer

Source

[Common Tator]

Yep, sure whatever. The dirty little secret is that taxes are going to be raised, and raised substantially, no matter who is elected governor next year. The only issue is what systemic reforms will be enacted so that the tax raises are temporary, and subject to a sunset clause. Massive reform is needed, which will probably have to be effected by initiative (public employee pensions, privitization, public school reform, repairing the business climate, etc.), while in the interim perhaps leaving the state without a budget, and returning public employees to the minimum wage. That will take time. Who is most reasonably calculated to declare a Jihad on the state legislature and go for the throat?

I started reading your post without noting who wrote it. All I could think of is where did this person with a real brain come from? Of course it was you.

What blew my mind yesterday was the Field Poll results on turn out multipliers. As you know the key to poll accuracy lies in the turn out multipliers. Field says as of now this special election will have 45 percent Democratic, 40 percent Republican and 15 percent Independent voter turn out. That is why Arnie dropped in the field poll. If those turn out numbers are true, then the USA today poll is worthless. Pollsters have been using the 2000 turn out multipliers based on the assumption that the 2002 turn out for the governors race was an aberration. The 2000 turn out was nearly 30 percent independent. Field polled the groups for likely turn out.

But if 2002 turn out was not just a one time thing..... and the centrist turn out is once again just 15 percent.... This could be a surprising election.

You can read my take as of late last night by clicking here.

[B Knotts]

I think you're reading the situation correctly. It would be awfully hard to stave off tax increases with the situation California is in. If it were to be done, it would require voter approval to allow the level of restructuring necessary.

At minimum, I think it can be said that Schwarzenegger is blowing smoke with his contention that he can balance the budget with no tax increases, with education "off the table."

There have to be some serious cuts...more like a gutting.

[Torie]

You look grand for a guy as old as you must be. Genes are a splendid thing. Of course, I am sure your clean living helps too. Your article is a bit confusing frankly. My view is that if Simon and McClintock take 25% of the vote, than Bustamante will be elected governor going away. But I am fairly confident that putting aside Uberroth (sp), that at the end, if necessary, between Arnold, Simon (that pathetic creature), and McClintock, two of the three, maybe four, will drop out.

[jam137]

As I posted elsewhere:

Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger today will announce a major tax-cut proposal in a bid to garner conservative support for his California gubernatorial campaign.

"He will call for repeal of the tripling of the car tax that [Democratic Gov. Gray] Davis instituted," Rep. David Dreier, California Republican and co-chairman of Mr. Schwarzenegger's campaign for the Oct. 7 recall election, told The Washington Times last night. Recent FR thread

Oops, Schwarzenegger must have accidently left that part out. Or, perhaps his campaign is making it up as they go along.

[Torie]

By the way, thanks for the generous and kind words. I appreciate it.

[Torie]

Goats love humans, maybe even more than dogs. Thus your hypo of an unhappy goat lacks versimilude. But I get your point. Just put this post in the circular file. It is worthless.

[Torie]

Verisimilitude. Ouch, so many letters.