Members of the California State Assembly are traveling today to the State Capitol. 47 of them will arrive to cast what must be the dumbest vote in the history of California politics and policy — political
theater at its worst. That would be the Assembly Democrats who apparently will follow the unwise bidding of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and the group of left-wing ideologues at the center of his leadership team. For Nunez, passing a massive government-growth health care proposal is a feather in his Loius Vuitton cap. For the others in his cabal, it is about their fervor to expand the size and scope of government — a need to expand the "social contract" between government and the people through and ever expanding redistribution of wealth. Whether blinded by pride, like Nunez, or by ideology like his Lieutenants, Democrats are prepared to pass legislation that would be the framework for a massive $14 billion ++ entitlement program. This when California is facing what can truly be called a massive financial crisis, entirely the construct of out-of-control increases in state spending.
- Read more about how Speaker Nunez is fiddling while Rome burns here.
- Read an outstanding and very informative critique of the Nunez-Schwarzenegger health-care government expansion bill, penned exclusively by Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee Vice Chairman Chuck DeVore, here.
At some point you have to wonder when enough is going to be enough for those few members of the Assembly Democrat Caucus who actually have a modicum of common sense. There must be members of this caucus (the same ones who roll their eyes at each story that comes out in the papers about the personal largess of Fabian Nunez) who may in their hearts want to see a larger role for government in health care, but who recognize that you have to put first things first, and deal with our state’s fiscal crisis. I mean, after all, even Senate President Don Perata, who is as liberal as they come, has said that the State Senate is not going to convene during the holidays to pass this plan — not until the state’s fiscal crisis is addressed.
The good news is that also traveling to Sacramento, on a mission to protect California’s economy, and its taxpayers, are 32 Assembly Republicans. Under the leadership of Mike Villines of Fresno, Assembly Republicans will put up a unified vote against what we are calling the dumbest vote ever. Let us not undervalue the unified voice of Assembly Republicans. Their opposition to this plan is important for three reasons. The first is the ability to demonstrate unity. That against the tyranny of legislative Democrats and, in the case, the Governor, Republicans are willing to defend the notion of individual responsibility and freedom and liberty. This plan is counter to all of those principles. In addition, by opposing the plan uniformly, Assembly Republicans prevent the legislature and Governor from implementing this grotesque growth in government, with its massive tax increases, without first going to a vote of the people. Finally, Republicans standing together in the legislature present a clear contrast to the Democrats. Even in the face of the obvious fact that state spending is out of control, Democrats want to spend more. Republicans want to spend less. That clear distinction is important for the electorate to understand that there are distinct differences between the donkey and the elephant. Lest anyone be confused, Arnold Schwarzenegger has walked away from his own party’s principles, those upon which he ran in the recall, to embrace this liberal expansion of government. We urge him, in confronting the state’s fiscal crisis, to return to a message of fiscal sanity, and prudence.
I should add, by the way, that Assembly Republicans stepped up to the plate with many health care proposals. But these were all casually rejected by Assembly Speaker Nunez, who clearly only wants to make problems worse, while seeing his own name appear in lights (in this case, headlights!).
I’m sure that there will be a lot of entertaining floor speeches today, and a lot to laugh about and cry over. The sad part is that when the session is over today, the curtain won’t come down. This is real life, and a majority of our California State Assembly will show they they are that out-of-touch with reality.
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