Okay, it is time once and for all to make it very clear that when you have a budget crisis that is the result of massive overspending and utter failure to put state funds away in a "rainy day reserve" (it’s raining cats and dogs now), it is nonsense to try to make the case that resolving the crisis with a "compromise" of spending cuts and tax increases is, in fact, any kind of compromise. That is false logic that should be categorically rejected.
Let me make this as clear as I can possibly make it — this crisis is the result of a Governor and a State Legislature that have consistently spent more money than was even remotely prudent — a staggering increase of over 40% in just over four years (by the way, every one of those previous over-spending budgets required some Republican legislative votes, so while the lion’s share of the blame for this mess belongs with Capitol Democrats, there is blame to go around.
Let’s say we have someone who over eats – let’s call him… Fabian. So Fabian, who four years ago weighs 200 pounds, decides that for years he is going to pork out on lots of food, and puts on 80 extra pounds — so much weight that his clothes basically don’t fit anymore. In order for Fabian to get back into healthy shape, everyone would agree that Fabian should eat less, exercise and lose the 40 pounds, right? Who would actually make the case that what fat Fabian should do is actually lose only 20 pounds, and then buy bigger clothes?
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January 13th, 2009 at 12:00 am
At the height of Communism in Soviet Block about 1.0 million bureaucrats and political zealots controlling a vast empire of diverse ethnics and helpless, terrified displaced citizens from many pre WW2 countries with no political identity.
In California we have a diverse population, many grew up in another state or country, most feel if the heat gets too hot in the political kitchen…they move out of state. And guess what….they are controlled by 235,000 bureaucrats, political zealots and a small intellectual elite who believe in RED UTOPIA for California.
January 14th, 2009 at 12:00 am
You are correct when you say we have a structural budget deficit because of “massive overspending”.
Let’s take a look at the budget over the last 5 years:
2002/03 – – General Fund spending was 77.5 billion.
2007/08 – – General Fund spending was 103.5 billion.
Here are the biggest culprits to the increased spending:
Increase tied to inflation – – 13.2 billion.
Increase tied to population growth – – 5.4 billion
So you say – – that still doesn’t add up – – the state has overspent by 26 billion dollars between 2002 and 2007. Inflation and population growth only account for 18.6 billion what happened to the other 7.4 billion?
Well, lets start with prisons, spending on inmates has jumped from 5.8 billion to 10.1 billion and that is mostly because of 11,000 new inmates due to three strikes.
Eliminating the Vehicle License Fee (becuase most of these fees went to local government and because the Governor agreed to cover the county and city losses through General Fund subvention payments) which cost the state $6.1 billion a year.
Education – – if you take into consideration the methodology in which we shifted prop. 98 funding to cover the losses due to the elimination of the Vehicle License Fee you would see that the increase in K-12 spending over the five year period was 7.2 billion (17 percent of this amount is attributable to inflation – – so one could argue that the state raised per pupil spending over that 5 year period by 8%).
These are the facts I would refer you to the Sacramento Bee Aug. 20, 2008 to see for yourself.
Waste, Fruad and abuse you say – -let’s go through the budget line by line looking for waste, fraud and abuse. Republicans have controlled the Department of Finance for the last 5 years, the budget is online for anybody to read, republicans do sit on the Budget Sub Committees to question the spending habits of each department head.
I will leave you with this – – republicans have already voted to raise taxes:
When you cut transportation funding and transit districts are forced to raise rates on their riders – – that’s a tax increase.
When you raise tuition costs at UC and CSU campuses – – that’s a tax increase.
Let’s get real and work together. We live in the Greatest state in the Union – – let’s keep it that way.