Frankly, I have been pretty impressed with Democrat Senator Lou Correa in this year’s budget stand-off. While every other Democrat Senator has had no problem showing a willingness to compound the financial woes by punishing California taxpayers with more taxes, Correa, who campaigned rather overtly as a "different kind of Democrat" and on a pledge to voters that he would oppose new taxes, has not gone along with his socialist-leaning colleagues. On a recent budget vote, which included a massive sales tax increase, Correa refused to go along, abstaining and withholding his vote.
That said, it is possible that my positive thoughts about Correa in this budget stand-off may be misplaced, after all. Yesterday, the Orange County Senator voted not once, but twice against motions to allow for hearings on a bill by Republican Senator Jeff Denham to provide vital services to Californian’s most vulnerable customers of government. Most recently, yesterday Senator Jim Battin made a motion to have a hearing on the bill, and Correa joined with all of this lefty colleagues in opposing the motion.
It makes one think that Correa’s opposition to higher taxes in the budget isn’t about the idea of protecting working Californians — but it about "gotcha" and avoiding being caught violating a campaign pledge.
If Correa (and frankly, any of the Democrat Senators) really care about those victims of a budget stalemate, they would be supporting Denham’s bill.
But I am sure that Democrats prefer to use these victims as "poster children" for why a budget should be passed, as opposed to providing them relief, which would crystallize this debate as an adult conversation about what to do about massive overspending, year after year…
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