[Update: Assemblyman Chuck DeVore just called to say that a late-scheduled session has been set in the State Assembly for 5:30 p.m. today…]
The Democrats in Sacramento must be really enjoying themselves today. What could possibly be more enjoyable for them than to see Republicans boxed into a corner. In the downstairs office, you have a GOP Governor against whom almost all of the Democrats have endorsed, and across the aisle they have GOP legislators, who stand as their longtime opponents in their quest to massively grow the size and scope of state government.
It is being reported in articles all around the state (check them out on the main page of the site) that both houses of the legislature are going to be voting today to send a on a package of four bond measures for the November ballot.
It is with great glee that Senate and Assembly Democrats are pushing as hard as they can to include literally as much non-infrastructure spending as possible into a bond package on which the Governor would like to stake his re-election. It’s a win-win for Democrats. Either the amount of obscene ‘socialized-engineering’ spending will rightfully make the GOP caucuses in the legislature balk, putting them at odds with the Governor, who seems to want to put a bond measure before the voters at any cost. Or Republicans legislators do what they know is right (and is the reason for a high 2/3 vote threshold) and vote down this ridiculous package of borrowing largesse, which contains virtually none of the important priorities that unified them in opposition in the Spring. Do Republican legislators hold their noses, and vote for some horrible ‘poison pill’ programs, in which case Democrats can smile because they will have finally gotten massive borrowing for their programs passed with a 2/3 vote.
As I wrote yesterday (Bond Negotiators take care!), the reality here is that there is a long way to go before any deadline for placing items on the November ballot. Which means that Republican legislators should reject any notion that ‘time is of the essence’ — slow down and take a thorough look at the package. The idea that something is negotiated in a back-room, and thrust out for a quick vote is the kind of thing that minimizes the ability of legislators to do their job, and seems to be insulting as well, given the lack of a deadline. Is it so wrong for legislators to be able to do their jobs? To read through a detailed proposal, speak to experts, to constituents, and to each other as they decide whether the package is good or bad public policy?
Assembly Republicans have not been vague in the slightest about what would need to be (and not be) in an infrastructure package to get support of their caucus (at all costs, we cannot afford a divided caucus on this matter – it would split the party to November, and beyond). Pay-as-you-go, CEQA reform, a spending cap, and a package that includes just bread-and-butter infrastructure, not social spending programs (soccer fields, affordable housing, or even this bizarre idea that infrastructure means subsidizing people’s purchase of a new house??). Very prudent guidelines, to be sure.
But still, the liberal Democrats, sensing a prime opportunity to grow government — push on. Here is some important reading:
Here is what Senator Tom McClintock says on the subject of bonds for infrastructure.
Here is what Board of Equalization Member Bill Leonard has to say.
Here is what Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association President Jon Coupal says.
Here is some counsel from George Passantino of the Reason Foundation.
Here, Assemblyman Bob Huff eloquently makes the case for including a pay-as-you go provision.
Here’s what the Presidents of three prominent statewide GOP volunteer organizations have to say.
Here’s more input from Anthony Archie of the Pacific Research Institute.
Here’s another piece, from former California Finance Director Donna Arduin
Here’s more from former Assembly Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy
Here’s even more from former Assemblyman Tony Strickland
And finally a second, but important message from HJTA’s Jon Coupal
The destination in politics isn’t always tomorrow, or the next election. Sometimes it is the here and now. Nationally, Republicans are suffering because we talk about fiscal restraint, but haven’t been able to exercise any. Here in California, Republicans often times are out of the debate because the Democrats dominate both legislative branches. But now, today, in this debate, over billions of dollars of horrible spending plans (that the gleeful democrats have chained to the worthwhile infrastructure spending also in the package) requires a 2/3 vote. So the question is, when the spending debate facing our party came to Sacramento, and it was time for Republicans to say no to spending billions on liberal programs, what did we do?
I urge all legislators who care about limited government and fiscal restraint to reject these bonds as proposed, and direct negotiators to go back to the table. Infrastructure is important, very important. But so is fiscal responsibility. And frankly expecting — no, demanding both is a responsible course of action for any fiscally conservative legislator.
Doing the principled thing and voting against this bond package may be the most important vote a conservative legislator could cast in their career. We’re not talking about millions or even tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in unjustifiable and morally corrupt spending — we are talking BILLIONS. There is definitely a price that is too high to pay, and this package exceeds that price by leaps and bounds.
The FlashReport urges a NO vote on this package as proposed.
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