Due to a supposed staff error, Governor Brown’s proposed state budget was released yesterday, instead of next Tuesday.  I was actually shocked when I read that general fund spending in the new budget is $92.5 billion.  This actually represents a roughly $6 billion or so increase in the size of the state’s general fund…  Yes, Jerry Brown is proposing that state government increases in size.

Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, the Vice Chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, said this of the Governor’s proposal, “The Governor’s proposed budget increases spending by a whopping 7% based on his rosy assumptions. The Legislature and Governor need to get real about reforming this perpetually-flawed budget process by examining every department and expenditures of government to ensure that taxpayer priorities are being met.  I suggest performance-based or a zero-based budget, with a hard spending cap and a reserve as a very good start.”

Nielsen also said, “The last thing we want to do is stomp on California’s recovering economy by raising taxes.  If the state cannot live within a 7.7% increase in revenue over last year, then we really have problems.  Average California families are certainly not seeing a 7.7 raise this year.”

The Governor should be ashamed for proposing that California voters be presented in November with a false choice — either support my proposed tax increases, or take an axe to K-12 education funding.  How can you increase government spending, and still expect voters to increase taxes on themselves?

Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said that, “Rome is burning, and even Governor Brown himself says so.  Yet the Governor and his Democrat counterparts in the Legislature fiddle while working families are taxed into submission.  It is irresponsible to assume that billions of dollars in new tax revenue will suddenly appear…”

While I’m still reviewing all of the finer details of the Governor’s proposed budget, there is no doubt that this is not the spending blueprint that is needed for our state government.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 6th, 2012 at 12:09 am and is filed under Blog Posts.