Governor Schwarzenegger Announces California Recovery Plan

California Governor's Home Page ^ | 11/18/03 | Arnold Schwarzenegger

[goldstategop]

Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces 'California Recovery Plan' 11/18/2003

Calls on Legislature to Repeal SB60, Pass Workers Compensation Reform, Structural Budget Reforms

SACRAMENTO

Gov. Schwarzenegger unveiled his "California Recovery Plan," and called on the Legislature to repeal SB60, pass meaningful workers compensation reform and structural budget reforms so the state no longer spends more money than the state receives.

"I will not shrink from the challenge or shirk my responsibility to the people of California. So today I want to detail my California recovery plan." said Schwarzenegger.

Gov. Schwarzenegger laid out three separate reform packages as part of the "California Recovery Plan." The plan includes:

Constitutional Spending Limit: The constitutional spending limit will force the state to live within its means by fixing the amount of general fund money that California government can spend. The constitutional spending limit also establishes a new "rainy day" fund, into which revenues in excess of the spending limit would be deposited. The uses of this new fund are defined as paying off existing debt, cushioning the effects of an economic downturn, or providing tax relief;

Fiscal Recovery Bond: The inherited deficit will be refinanced, with a general obligation bond issue, authorized for up to $15 billion, to be put before the voters on the March ballot. The bond would only be sold if the voters approve the state spending limit described above to ensure politicians can never again put current year spending on the state's credit card;

Workers Compensation Reform: Gov. Schwarzenegger introduced a proposal to overhaul the workers compensation system. The plan, which would stem the tide of job losses and bring more jobs back to California, would ensure that California's standards are in line with nationally recognized workers' compensation standards, establish an independent medical review process, expand alternative dispute resolution provisions, and eliminate the necessity of employers who provide healthcare for their employees to carry duplicative workers' compensation insurance coverage. The proposal sets an aggressive goal of saving $11 billion in costs.

Gov. Schwarzenegger also asked the legislature to repeal SB60.

"Californians should have the right to vote on the California recovery plan," said Gov. Schwarzenegger. "I urge them to let their voices be heard. Write or call their legislators and let them know that you want action and you want it now."

[goldstategop]

Tell the State Legislature to get off its duffs and save California. That is if they really want to show they're not continuing with politics as usual. The voters wanted change. GO ARNOLD!!!

[novacation]

Anyone who actually reads what a bond issue says will discover that the voters would be giving the state authority to raise taxes to pay for the bonds. No thanks Ahnold!

[goldstategop]

That's true. Arnold also says he will NOT sign a bond measure for the ballot UNLESS its accompanied by a constitutional spending limit. No constitutional spending limit; no bond. It has to be a package deal.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

California is an excellent microcosm of the left versus the right. All of Swharzenegger's proposals are attempts to undo policies that allow the non-producers to be parasites on the producers.

Conservatives want production, the left wants control. The right encourages production through freedom and incentives, the left discourages production through taxes and regulation. Taxes and regulation also bring with them control of the populace.

Our country is in a life or death struggle with the left and California is center stage at the moment. What poetic allegory to have an immigrant "Terminator" at the helm.

[novacation]

True that is what the article says. I wonder how much it will cost to pay off those bonds? Do you have any idea?

[goldstategop]

$15 billion... doesn't say how long or what it will take to pay it off. Its a nice chunk of change and we're going to be paying for the Democrats' excesses for a long time. I can live with it as long as there's a limit on future state spennding. Without it, fugetboutit.

[novacation]

Hopefully Arnold is just the beginning of the change is Sacramento. I'd like to see much larger cuts in the states payrolls and programs. It needs to be run like a business. At least Arnold has a business mind.

[cpst12]

>>The inherited deficit will be refinanced, with a general obligation bond issue, authorized for up to $15 billion

Ah yes...another borrow and spend republican(versus the tax and spend democrats)...if we could just borrow enough money we would all be rich...

If Gov. Arnold(R) suddenly became Gov. Arnold(D) and proposed all the *exact* same solutions, democrats would love him and republicans would vilify him...so much for any party really beleiving in anything except their own party getting into office...

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Read this post before you say that:

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1024735/posts

I love it: Arnold is hitting the ground running. This is what I've wished Republican executives would do every time they take office: put out a barrage of bills and proposals to repeal the damage done in the past, too many to write about and care about simultaneously, and overwhelm the editorial pages.

If you have so many bills the whining left can't write about them all, the majority of the ideas have a chance of getting implemented. When you do the typical one-battle-at-a-time crap, the editorialists ride each cause for days until the executive is forced to back down. They lose credibility before their 100 day "honeymoon" is over.

[daviddennis]

Actually, I got the opposite message from this.

Davis had floated all $15 billion-odd in bonds during his administration. He needed a vote from the people but used sleight of hand to dodge it.

Arnold is simply putting stuff already done out for a vote, which he needed to do. None of this borrowing was done on his watch.

What's impressive about this is that many observers were expecting a $20bln bond, which would allow him to roll over the car tax decrease into future years. He is not doing this; his policies are going to be resolved in his budget.

I'm pretty impressed by Governor Arnold so far. He's no dummy, and he's not shirking from tough decisions.

D