This is a repeat blog from December 2008 that got taken off for some unknown reason. It is just as relevant, even more so, now that California voters told the Legislature and Governor to go to he11:
I pointed out in an earlier blog that the California Democrats have created a monster scale financial train wreck.
The
California Democratic Party machine is a 100% subsidiary of the major
California labor unions. The unions have voted themselves nearly 90% of
the California budget. Now the union created expenditures far exceed
the potential tax revenues and the Democrats can't vote to reduce
them. The Republicans are united in refusing to let them raise taxes.
I'm so proud of the Republicans and admire their brilliant strategy in
this.
Yesterday the Democrats came up with a way to pretend to lower the gasoline tax which is restricted to highway related functions, and increase all other taxes that go into the general fund. The Democrats call the transaction 'neutral' so it doesn't fall under the Constitutional voting requirements for a tax increase. The Governor will veto it...but the intent is what is fun to watch.
Watch the Democratic legislators squirm. They need to be replaced by any rational electorate. California will replace them if the issue is big enough and framed properly.
I'm proud
You will be surprised to read what inaction I am proud of but you won't be surprised at my reason.
The California Legislature has been in a deadlock since July over the current 08-09 budget. The Senate has 40 members and needs 27 votes to pass a budget, the 15 Republicans can stop passage of the budget. The Assembly has 80 member and needs 54 to pass. There are 29 Republicans in the Assembly who can stop a budget bill.
The budget consists of $126 billion in expenses and $100 billion in revenue.
The
Republicans in both houses have been unified in refusing to pass any
budget that requires a tax increase. The Republicans have not proposed
an alternative. I am very proud of the Republican legislators. If
they remain unified the State will come to a dead stand still in March,
possibly sooner.
I was a legislative analyst early in my career, working in Sacramento. We had a non-partisan legislature at the time. Soon afterwards the legislature became part of a statewide Democratic Party machine created by Jesse Unruh. It has remained part of the Democratic Party machine ever since 1964.
The entire budget debacle has been created by the Democrats in conjunction with the California unions. More than 55% of the budget is paid to education union members. Why should the Republicans antagonize anyone by proposing areas to cut the budget...they didn't bring the pigs to the trough in the first place.
In the 1950's California always ranked #1 in education from K to 12 and at the University level. Today, K-12 in California ranks somewhere between Louisiana and Mississippi. Today California Colleges and Universities teach one common curriculum: Lefty socialism.
Since the Democrats created the teats on the hog of the state budget it is obviously their job to cut off the milk supply. They will have no choice in a few months. California has one of the highest unemployment rates in the U.S. and has been especially hard hit by sub-prime mortgages.