Speaker Bass has to go!
California’s budget crisis cannot be solved until those responsible are removed from leadership. Last February the “big five’ leaders from both parties in both houses plus the Governor, rammed down billions in new taxes and put to vote more billions on the May 19th ballot. That didn’t work.
Everyone knows the new taxes didn’t resolve the budget gap and the voters in a 2-1 vote scuttled the new new tax increases.
So far of the original gang of 5, two have been removed. If the budget log-dam is to be broken we need new more flexible leaders.
Speaker Bass is ineffective to do the job. She has to go. Sadly, Bass has only one constituency she must answer to. Government unions are her only and sole concern. They elected her. They funded her. They control her. Since 2003 California government has grown with over 50,000 net new state employees, all union members. Don’t let anyone tell you there a hiring freeze either.
Bass doesn’t have the background for understanding the dynamics of billion dollar deficits. She’s a professional spender — of other people’s money. The only job she had before her political career was in the public sector. She created Community Coalition to serve African Americans in south LA. Its specialty was to attack “addiction, crime, violence and poverty.” All worthy goals but so far the jury is out. CC’s website claims as part of its success is to have “won” over $500 million for LAUSD schools, still the most dysfunction in America. In addition, CC also “won” $36,000,000 for money to the corrupted “relative caregivers” program.
Everyone in the political community agrees Bass cannot lead or make any reforms so long as she is tied to the hip with government unions. Should Bass to take on the unions would be the end of her political career.
A key problem with the budget gridlock now rests the majority legislative leaders. Republicans have already replaced their leaders. It’s time for democrats to clean their own house.
Rumblings are getting louder that Bass is no longer safe as Speaker. We hope her replacement will be the real thing. Strong, independent and forward thinking.
The capitol is flooded with good ideas for solving the budget crisis. We have too many employees doing too little and getting paid too much. Solve that. California has hundreds of billions in land assets that ought to be sold to the public. We have bureaucracies that were designed for the 19th century government. Either sell or out-source those services to save a bundle. Finally, new leadership could offer real assistance to local governments by getting the state out of their way. Decentralize taxation powers to local government.
Karen Bass seems to be a nice well meaning person. Her political flexibility is straight jacketed. She doesn’t have the independence to think or work for genuine reforms. It’s time to let her go.
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