State Budget Update
There is not a lot to report on this topic, but what there is, I will bring to you. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez is off in Europe, thus a strong indicator of his feelings about what kind of a role he should be playing to trying to resolve the budget stalemate. That said, I spoke with Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman last night, and he said that things are "moving in the right direction" compared to the rest of this week. He had a meeting with Senate President Don Perata yesterday, and has another one schedule for tomorrow.
Ackerman also added that the Governor has rolled up his sleeves and is now engaged in a meaningful way in the dialogue, which he characterized as helpful. Ackerman has assured me that the resolve in his caucus to see a state budget that does not include deficit spending is still strong, so we’ll see where things go from here.
Of course, we’ll be keeping FR readers up to date.
State Senator – Open mouth, insert muzzle…
Perhaps there is no one more eloquent with the media amongst State Capitol denizens that liberal Democrat State Senator Sheila Kuehl. What is her latest "gift" in literary prose to the state budget stalemate? Earlier this week in the Sacramento Bee, Kuehl said, "It’s egregious when 15 white men with money hold up the budget for 37 million people."
Well, I have waited a couple of days for the press conference from the NAACP or the ACLU, blasting Kuehl for her overtly racist statement. What does race or ethnicity of a state legislator have to do with anything?
You can be sure that Kuehl, one of the most out-of-the-closet lesbians in Sacramento would be in a tizzy if a Republican Senator was quoted in the paper saying, "It’s egregious when a Democrat Caucus with a rich lesbian holds up the budget for 37 million people."
Of course, no one would say that because someone sexual orientation no more at issue than their race in budget negotiations.
I would be happy to engage in some name-calling of Kuehl, but we’ll leave the 4-year-old antics to Sheila Kuehl.
