The more things change in the legislature, the more they stay the same. Senator Tom Berryhill was stripped of his Chairmanship of the Food and Agriculture Committee by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg for shockingly reminding everybody that the Republican Caucus would not be supporting tax increases and the democrats own this "solution" that has already been rejected by the voters.
To make matters worse, Steinberg, in his letter to the Rules Committee stripping Berryhill of the post arrogantly states "Each member of the California State Senate represents nearly one million people and we have a duty, regardless of party or philosophy, to actively engage in the serious work necessary to address the challenges confronting California." It seems that "actively engaging" on the budget to Senator Steinberg means checking the reasons your constituents sent you to Sacramento at the door.
Steinberg has made a choice to put politics first and reminded Californians that a critical piece of our economic structure that creates jobs and tax revenue keeping this state afloat will take a back seat to political gamesmanship and petty posturing. It looks like someone else deserves the lecture about engaging in the serious work necessary to address the challenges confronting California.
January 16th, 2011 at 12:00 am
We are in serious fiscal trouble…
You want to lose it all?
Where is the action plan Republicans?
Are you pundits, lobbyists and party leaders throwing in the towel?
Go on offense before Capt. Medfly and his union backers make us wards of the State!
Without a publized plan the moochers will turn on us. They are bleating already about the budget cuts.