CA: Gov. Might Consider Tax Hike, Aide Says (FoR education)

LA Times ^ | 12/17/05 | Evan Halper

[NormsRevenge]

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top education advisor said the administration is prepared to consider raising taxes as part of a long-term solution to the problems plaguing California schools.

The statement by California Education Secretary Alan Bersin came in a Dec. 1 speech to the California School Boards Assn. It was posted on the group's website Friday.

His comments mark the first time any top administration official has acknowledged that new taxes could be needed to restore the quality of state services.

"No one can look at the history of California education over the last generation and not notice we went from first to worst … and not attribute that also to the per-student revenue limits we now live under," Bersin said in the speech.

He pledged to join the dialogue "about what are the conditions in which we can talk to Californians about increasing taxes — and what are the obligations we will assume in the education world to assure the dollars that are raised are used productively."

The governor has repeatedly said that raising taxes would only cause more problems for the state.

And other administration officials say that there will be no tax increases in the budget that Schwarzenegger will propose to the Legislature next month.

Bersin's speech focused on finding common ground between the politically powerful education lobby — which he said has resisted proposals to hold teachers to higher standards and operate schools more efficiently — and the anti-tax forces that fight attempts to raise new revenue.

"Any suggestion that I believe a tax increase is in order now is incorrect," Bersin said in a telephone interview Friday.

But he added, "We have got to start to create a dialogue in which people look at opponents' arguments without rejecting them out of hand."

[NormsRevenge]

It's OK.. It's for the children unions, yaknow.

[USS Alaska]

Money is the solution to every problem. More taxes, better education, better mexican citizens. Works for me. la raza uber alles {mixed languages, kan't rite in anglissh, two much edjikashun}. s/off

[BenLurkin]

Bingo!

[martin_fierro]

[stephenjohnbanker]

Shades of GHWB.....read my lips.

[martin_fierro]

Lay off those "cigars," Arnie.

[SoCal_Republican]

This is the result of Arnold's defeat on his initiatives. Now we will see if all the big-talking conservatives in the CA legislature will stand up and prevent the 2/3rds vote needed to raise taxes. I am not very hopeful.

[calcowgirl]

Will new taxes be acceptable to this Republican Party Chairman, too?

Governor, GOP leaders meet
EMOTIONS SUBSIDE OVER HIS SELECTION OF DEMOCRAT AS AIDE
San Jose Mercury News, December 16, 2005

SACRAMENTO - After meeting Thursday with Republican Party leaders about his new Democratic chief of staff, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the party was now "one big family" committed to his re-election.

Schwarzenegger had been facing a revolt from conservatives and party activists over his hiring of Susan Kennedy, who was an aide to former Gov. Gray Davis and a onetime top Democratic Party activist.

Republican activists had said they did not trust her and would not share political strategy with her, especially in an election year.

But anger over Kennedy's hiring appears to be subsiding, largely because the governor has convinced party leaders that in hiring her he has not changed his political views.

"He addressed all the issues that were raised," said Republican Party Chairman Duf Sundheim, including taxes and giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, according to a source who was briefed on the meeting.

(snip)

[Troublemaker]

"No one can look at the history of California education over the last generation and not notice we went from first to worst...

Don't worry, the lottery will take care of that (obvious sarcasm).

[ErnBatavia]

As mandated, forty percent of the state's budget...PLUS whatever the lottery brings in, and it still ain't close to being close enough...

[Honestfreedom]

Yeah afterall we are so undertaxed here.

[The Old Hoosier]

Some of us predicted this during the recall, if I recall...

[joesnuffy]

Dont forget deh helt cahr foh deh illegal aliens children

Remember Arnie what your character Hauser said to Kohegan on Mars... "Gif dose people cair"

[FairOpinion]

"Some of us predicted this during the recall, if I recall...
"

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The world of 2+2 doesn't change, it's always 4.

Arnold put Prop. 76 on the ballot to CUT SPENDING, and to take away the chokehold that the earlier approved Prop. 98 school proposition had on the budget. Arnold warned, that if people don't approve the spending cut proposition, the only way to balance the budget will be by spending cuts.

It's elementary, my dear Watson, you either cut spending or raise taxes, so that revenues balance out expenditures.

The voters of CA, which includes many on this board voted AGAINST Prop. 76,-- the "live within our means" proposition, to control spending,--- supporting the Dems, who spent millions to defeat the reform propositions.

It's the fault of the CA voters, who didn't vote for Prop. 76, if Arnold may not have any choice, but the raise taxes, exactly what the Dems want, just what they did with Bush I, then they can claim he didn't keep his promise.Now people like you are already running around blaming Arnold.

Arnold ran on reform, but since he is only a governor, NOT a dictator, he needed the support of the Legislature, which he didn't get, or the PEOPLE, who voted down every single one of his reform proposition, including the one to cut spending.

So let's make sure Arnold is defeated by a Dem in 2006, and CA will never again has a Republican in state office, as it had been before Arnold's election. This is the platform of some on this board.

Then you will all be very happy with Dems in all state offices and a Dem legislature.

Then we might as well write off CA.

Let's see, you ask someone to swim the English Channel, you get a volunteer, take bets whether he will be able to finish, you are betting against him finishing. Then you handcuff him hand and foot, and proudly announce that you won your bet, because no way is he going to be able to swim across the channel that way.

[NormsRevenge]

It kind of looks like we got a dem in the Recall .. a few vetos here and there to try and save a little base,, and lots of borrowing and spending there notwithstanding ,, just my conservative view of it and not a moderate that only seeks to win over the dems and greens and moderates and screw the grass roots conservative base at every opportunity and then you have the chutzpah to sit here and blame them on top of it all.. lol. you are a work, FO.

[FairOpinion]

I guess you missed THIS part:

"Arnold ran on reform, but since he is only a governor, NOT a dictator, he needed the support of the Legislature, which he didn't get, or the PEOPLE, who voted down every single one of his reform proposition, including the one to cut spending."

[NormsRevenge]

Follow the money, FO. Follow the money.

You're ragging on the wrong people here at FR. Take your message to the street. I'm sure some of us here would be haPPy to chip in and buy ya a soapbox.

btw, Wanna make a guess on the budget figure soon to be proposed and eventually to be signed by this bastion of conservatism, aRnold?

[Amerigomag]

****** REPLY 14 ****** CAGOP SPAM ALERT ******

For those who aren't familiar with CAGOP practices or for those lurkers who don't understand the traditional constitutional process in California under prevailing circumstances here is a primer.

A conservative executive typically submits a conservative budget to a liberal legislature. The legislature bloats the budget through simple majority vote and sends it back to the executive for approval. The executive vetoes the budget and sends it back to the legislature for override. The legislative majority is now forced to work with the minority to override the veto and reductions in spending are negotiated, gaining the approval of the executive.

During the last two budget cycles however, the executive negotiated with the legislative majority directly, delivered a bloated budget proposal and then approved the returned, even more bloated budget package without the assistance or consent of the legislative minority.

Contrary to the myths promoted in the reply, Prop 76 was an initiative designed to accomplish 3 things. Give the appearance of spending reductions, authorize more illegal borrowing and protect Prop 58 lenders from repercussions should the state go south financially. Prop 76 was opposed by both the left and the right in California and failed at the polls by the widest margin (38/62) of the four proposals promoted by the executive.

[RS]

Just how was McClintock suckered into supporting it then ?

"Tom McClintock: This is Sen. Tom McClintock for Prop. 76. 76 is the Live Within Your Means Act - to control state spending, balance the budget without new taxes and stop borrowing from our kids. "

http://www.sacbee.com/static/richmedia/audio/politics/2005_prop76.ram

[FairOpinion]

California Governor: Schwarzenegger Trails (Angelides 44% Arnold 40%; Westly 46% Arnold 39%)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1542507/posts


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I am sure this makes you very happy.