Posted on 01/10/2008 12:41:52 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Confronting the biggest crisis of his political career, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today proposed slashing payments to schools by billions of dollars, releasing tens of thousands of "low risk" inmates from prison early, and closing a number of state parks as part of a plan to fill a gaping $14 billion hole in the state budget.
The proposal immediately triggered howls of protest from lawmakers across the political spectrum and among some of the most powerful interest groups in the Capitol. The governor said he hopes to start a debate among Californians about what services they want from state government and how to pay for them.
Among the proposals are calls to cut of about 10 percent of public education funding, release 22,000 prison inmates over a two-year span and shutter 48 state parks, nearly one in five.
The reductions would result in an overall 3 percent reduction in spending from the $145.5 billion budget that the Republican governor signed last summer.
The governor asked the Legislature to cut more than $4 billion from schools, according to a copy of the proposed cuts obtained in advance by The Associated Press. That would require lawmakers to suspend provisions of Proposition 98, the voter-approved initiative that guarantees a minimum funding level for schools.
The sweeping budget proposal is the governor's attempt to exorcize the budget "demons" that paved the demise of his predecessor, Democrat Gray Davis, and helped propel Schwarzenegger into office in the 2003 recall election. Schwarzenegger promised to fix the state's finances during that campaign, but after falling short repeatedly, he turned to more rewarding issues such the environment and health care.
But the housing downturn and softening economy has thrust the budget back to the fore. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Time for Arnold to pay the piper? Did he think revenues would keep going up forever?
bump
Arnold’s administration’s theme song may end up being “Merry Go ‘Round Broke Down” (opening theme to Merrie Melodies cartoons).
Great that's 22,000 more kids out on the street
Sometimes I love MSM headlines.
I would bet that most of them are in for minor drug offenses that shouldn’t be crimes in the first place.
I wonder if he eliminated those hundreds of millions for the Embryonic Stem Cell Research?....LOL....wanna bet?
More ideas?
Recall Arnold.
Governor declares fiscal emergency, spells out cuts to schools, Medi-Cal
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/10/BAALUD1CC.DTL&tsp=1
—snip—
The governor had warned in his State of the State speech Tuesday that he would not consider raising taxes as a means of closing the budget gap. Outside of a few, small proposals to increase fees, including one on homeowner insurance to help pay for rural firefighting, the governor’s budget does not include new taxes.
“I have made it very clear we cannot tax our way out of this problem,” Schwarzenegger said. “There’s no reason to tax anyone because our system doesn’t work.”
—snip—
To cut as much money as the governor is proposing, lawmakers would have to suspend Prop. 98 - an action that has only happened once, during the 2003-2004 fiscal crisis.
It is a move that is likely to face stiff opposition from the state’s powerful education lobby.
—
Just do it.
i think most minor drug offenses have titles like ‘theft’ and ‘assault’ and ‘dui’ and ‘domestic abuse’, cause drug offenders break all kinds of other harmless laws as they progress through their pathetic lives
Schwarzenegger unveils proposed budget cuts - Healthcare and state parks would take strong hits in governor’s plan. He says reductions must be made to close a $14.5-billion deficit.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-budget11jan11,0,458683.story?coll=la-home-center
—snip—
Only a few areas would avoid cuts under his plan: spending on health benefits for retired public employees, payments to some long-term care facilities and state hospitals, juvenile justice programs and healthcare programs for inmates. Lawmakers are legally prohibited from making cuts to many of those programs, and the governor said others were “impractical to implement.”
Despite the state’s substantial existing debt, Schwarzenegger proposed asking voters for permission to borrow $38.3 billion more this year. He wants $11.9 billion to expand and improve the state’s water supply, $11.6 billion to pay for public school construction projects, $12.3 billion for community college and university building projects, and $2 billion to improve the state’s court facilities.
The governor’s borrowing plan also includes a $10-billion proposal for a high-speed rail project that is already on the November ballot.
Arnold played Conan.
Arnold thinks he is King Richard.
Arnold the fool.
I predict the screwls will whine the loudest.
Environmental Justice is supposed to be the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Agencies are directed to avoid, minimize or mitigate: (1) disproportionate health, environmental, social and economic effects on low-income populations; and (2) barriers to participation in the decision-making process and self-determination by low income populations.
What the Gov. and legislature could do is give impoverished rural areas a reprieve from strict enforcement of endangered species and other onerous environmental regulations. This, in turn, would decrease unemployment in these areas, creating natural resource jobs; decrease the need for welfare, domestic violence, substance abuse and other social programs; and decrease the need for agency personnel.
Slashing education sounds bad, but (frankly) is probably a good idea. The education bureaucracy is one of the most bloated. I’d bet, if you do it right, you could cut it by 1/3 with little, if any, effect. The problem is making sure you cut the fat without the muscle.
If I truly believed that “revenue shortage” was the problem, I’d look at those ideas. (And in the very long run, I’d look at them anyway.)
But the problem is spending, spending, spending.
Perhaps the only remedy is to shut the state government down for a period of time, only to restart once some constiutional change is in place to ensure spending control thereafter.
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