There will be no infrastructure bonds on the June ballot.  This is a certainty.  But what does that mean?

There are a host of articles linked on the main page today where you can read the ‘spin’ out there from over a dozen different political reporters (or in some cases "teams" of political reporters).  I will take a few minutes here and put in my ten cents.
 
Let me first talk about the Governor.  Arnold Schwarzenegger has certainly won the debate — there is no question from any corner about the need for California to invest in significant infrastructure needs for the state.  The Governor laid out a bold plan last January, and has spent months making a case for this.  It’s not too hard a case to make when you spend hours on clogged highways, or see the state of disrepair of many of California’s levees.

So why, with the need so great, and a ‘superstar’ Republican Governor making a very passionate and persuasive case to the people of California about a need for strategic infrastructure growth, did the legislature fail to place anything on the June ballot?  After all, recent polls showed that the voters would likely approve a borrowing plan.
 
The answer is crystal clear.  The Governor ran into the political gauntlet of the partisan legislative Democrats.  They salivated with the idea of their own little ‘win-win’ scenario, relishing the opportunity….

**There is more – click the link**

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 16th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.