LAO’s Announced $8 Billion Shortfall Prompts a "Survey"… Some have asked if the survey question posted yesterday was really meant to solicit responses, or if it was just to make a point? You decide.
The point, of course, is that an adopted State budget is never really a budget if it’s based on faulty expectations, mixed with a puff of smoke and a few mirrors. The legislature and the Governor have proved it twice now in the last five months … same budget, two different votes to pass (the first was an unconstitutional, didn’t get to a 2/3 vote, "get out of town for the holidays" iteration), and it still doesn’t resolve the spending binges of the last several years.
But, whether one wants to join me in being a smart aleck about the truth by weighing in on whether to deem the latest news more appropriate for the "Color me surprised" file or some other title of one’s choice … well, that depends on one’s initiative and creativity. It’s Sunday, break out, have some fun.
Earmark my Eye… A couple of Union-Trib stories on the district-specific projects currently proposed by the SD-area congressional delegation, as well as a FlashReport post on the apparent subsequent decision by Congressmen Darrell Issa and Duncan Hunter to no longer request earmarks in future years:
66 projects in county to be funded by earmarks
FR: Issa will no longer request earmarks
In the second U-T piece, Earmarks may provide job stimulus in region, writer Dean Calbreath contends that those earmarks being considered for San Diego County are of a different ilk than "the kind of self-serving projects that (convicted Congressman Duke) Cunningham liked to tack onto the budget."
Whether one agrees that earmark legislation can be a good thing in specific cases or not, I had to laugh at Calbreath’s imagery. Some excerpts…
"Whatever else can be said about him, there’s one thing that almost everybody can agree on about former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham.
"He knew how to do earmarks."
"If Cunningham saw the kinds of earmarks that were passed in the $410 billion omnibus spending bill that President Barack Obama signed last week – or the projects being funded by the recently passed $787 billion stimulus package – he might roll over in his prison bunk."
Anderson’s Hard Target is Google for Allowing Access to Soft Targets… Assemblyman Joel Anderson’s proposed AB 255, which aims to restrict Internet mapping sites from posting detailed images of schools, hospitals, churches and all government buildings, is getting some attention. Anderson noted this week that "In response to the Mumbai Terrorist attacks, the Maharashtra Government is taking pro-active steps to protect its citizens. Just like I have proposed in AB 255, they are blurring out sensitive locations like government buildings and places of worship."
Some coverage:
Amusingly unintended irony of ironies, Google took the Associated Press story on Joel’s bill, posted it to its website and included a location map of Sacramento, in case anyone — friend, terrorist, purple-shirted SEIU member, or Google apologist — wants to know where to "aim" their ire about anything, Anderson’s legislation or otherwise. Whether a drill down will provide photos of the Capitol, I don’t know, but FYI, Anderson is generally in the building Monday thru mid-day Thursday, and weekends during budget lockdowns.
Have a great week!
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