Sunday, November 23, 2003

California Politics: More Schwarzenegger Shorts

This animated cartoon from the talented Mark Fiore is very good:

Capitol Cineplex 11/20/03

La Opinion has noticed that Gov. Schwarzenegger has proposed at least one specific budget cut:

Gobernador pide cancelación de ajuste para beneficiarios de Asistencia Pública La Opinion 11/26/03

<< Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger asked the legislature to cancel a cost-of-living adjustment for beneficiaries of Public Assistance (welfare) after the rescinding of the tripling in the cost of vehicle regisration. >>

The article goes on to explain that the legislature had tied a previous postponement of the cost-of-living increase to the increase in the car tax. The theory - a very sensible one in my view - was that if the government could afford to cut taxes, they could afford to make a cost-of-living adjustment to unemployed single mothers on welfare.

This editorial wonders when Gov. S is going to offer specifics - other than cutting welfare benefits to single mothers - on what budget cuts he wants:

Where's the plan? Sacramento Bee 11/22/03

<< When the state has a budget that's permanently out of balance -- Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill pegs the structural deficit at about $10 billion a year, an amount increased to $14 billion annually by Schwarzenegger's rollback of the vehicle license fee -- higher taxes, spending cuts or some combination of the two are the only sensible responses.

<< Schwarzenegger's alternative, such as it is, is to borrow. But proposing that the state issue $15 billion in general obligation bonds (with a life of up to 30 years) isn't a budget solution; it's a budget evasion. As state Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Simi Valley, correctly says, it merely passes the buck to the next generation for this generation's mistakes. >>

It also questions the real value of the spending caps that Gov. S made one of his key campaign promises.

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