Word from all sources is that the confidential meetings of Governor Schwarzenegger, Senate President Darrell Steinberg, Senate GOP Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, and Assembly Republican Leader Sam Blakeslee – with only their most senior staff members present – has resulted in the framework for a deal to balance the state’s current budget, which currently is projected to spend $26.2 billion more than the tax revenues coming into fund it.
The last time the so-named “Big 5” came to a budget deal, it was February and it was a raw deal for California taxpayers. Not only did the secret meetings results in well over $16 billion in higher sales, income and car taxes, as well as a families with children losing a key tax exemption – but that deal also produced the ill-fated Proposition 1A, which required “adult supervision” from California voters to reject any more tax increases to deal with the state’s fiscal woes.
As I look back at the terrible big budget/big taxes/open primary deal of February – one of the biggest problems with the deal was not even the terrible public policy within it, but the flawed “secret” process, which led to only a small group of State Capitol insiders really knowing what was in the deal, with state legislators in the loop to varying degrees depending on their influence and personal relationship with legislative leaders. If the actual budget bills were in print for that vote in February, then the ink was not even dry.
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July 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Now what do the other legislator clowns do? Eh?
Yeah! They dream up regulations to rip off small business, they bow to the enviro gods, they wallow in PC bliss at every turn!!!
The time for a “very” part-time legislator without fancy cars, per diem, exotic trips, fine wine, Louis Vutton bags and Escalade health benefits will we beg for Messiah Care in D.C.
July 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am
I have been on the phone all last week with the offices of Hollingsworth , my reps Benoit and Nestande, trying to convince them to call for open debate on the assembly and senate floor on the budget, along with Arnie and the gov. staff ready to testify.
Make Bass and Steinberg and the state employee unions, state that they do not want full and open debate on the budget, make them justify the ridiculous spending, lavish state employee salaries and unsustainable pension benefits, benefits to illegals, Calworks , home care workers, etc.,that has wrecked California’s economy, made the business climate so bad , they are moving out or closing every day.
Then after full and open debate in the public , take Jon’s suggestion that 72 hours should lapse before they vote, this will give the public the time to chime in to there reps on how they want them to vote on the budget.
If Arnie, Hollingsworth and Blakeslee still want continue to make back room deals ,vote on budgets no one has read or fully debated and follow the same failed strategies that have gotten this State and the Republican party in the state of affairs it is in now, I see a very dismal future for California and the Republican party for many years to come