Posted on 03/17/2008 1:35:45 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Governor Schwarzenegger kicked off his latest road show this morning in Fresno, talking budget reform and striking a curious balance between defending elected officials and criticizing them.
The governor’s event with Fresno Mayor Alan Autry and others had a familiar theme. Armed with his now infamous budget charts showing the imbalance between state expenditures and revenue, Schwarzenegger promised a new push this year for a constitutional amendment to change the budget system.
That proposal was hinted at in his State of the State speech two months ago but remains more concept than concrete. What we do know is that it would create a new rainy day fund by constraining spending in robust times and would give the governor the option of unilaterally cutting some state spending if the Legislature fails to do so as needed.
This morning’s event, broadcast on the governor’s website, featured Schwarzenegger walking a careful line when assessing blame for the budget problem. While at one point saying that elected officials are not the problem (”No one has forseen this [budget] situation,” he told the audience), the governor then dusted off some language that sounded like it came from his failed 2005 campaign to pass the budget proposal known as Proposition 76.
Schwarzenegger said that rather than punishing Californians, perhaps someone should “punish Sacramento” for the problems.
“Why take people, vulnerable citizens,” said the governor describing the recent spate of feast or famine budget years, “on this kind of roller coaster ride?”
The governor then went on to blame the amorphous “Sacramento” for — in his words — stealing money over the years from the people.
He criticized last week’s Assembly vote on a new tax on oil production as the wrong approach. “The oil companies didn’t create this [budget] problem,” he said, later arguing that the proposal was merely “taking money away from the [oil company] shareholders.”
And in a preview of things to come this spring and summer, Schwarzenegger seemed to make it clear that he wants to negotiate a reform proposal in tandem with the coming year’s budget. That could be particularly tough, given how little consensus there is so far on how to solve anything related to the state’s recurring gap between revenues and expenditures.
could have .. should have..
water over the dam
he should have never entered the Recall race... and once he got in, he shot himself in the foot
a golden opportunity was lost, no squandered, likely never to seen again.
I think it was the lack of conservative turn out for the vote on two or more of the propositions.
Others might think it was when McClintock did not win the nomination, but we have to keep in mind he hasn't been able to get elected dog catcher since running for Gov of CA.
Bustamante IMO would have been GOV if not Arnold.
Prop 73, Parental Notification, got 47% of the vote, despite limited support from the GOP and Arnold
and the presence of an agressive campaign against it from the pro-abort crowd.
Prop 76, State Spending, got 37% of the vote.
As Amerigomag said, conservatives (that voted for Prop 73), voted against Arnold’s sham Prop 76.
Blame conservatives for not showing up, all you want (even though many did). Regardless, it wouldn’t have helped pass flawed props.
Bustamante IMO would have been GOV if not Arnold.
—
and now we shall never know and Oh the cost to all of us,, save for those who left the state since that Trojan horse debacle.
I don’t think Cruz could count to a billion much less a hundred without assistance. Oh well.
Excremento? (... meaning no offense to ordinary folks who simply happen to live there)
We have some idea because McClintock couldn’t even take the Lt. Gov. seat.
What’s your boner up for McClintock, anyway?
If anyone is a loser here, it folks like you who have nothing more to offer than insultative comments about folks that you aren’t even worthy to carry water for.
Why are you here anyway? You really are outdoing yourself for acting like a TWirP in training , imo.
..and btw, how many other Pubs won, other then the ones that signed on the aRnold express, considering most got back-handed by the CaGoP apparatus at their own convention in a act of hero worship for the GUb ... and a movement of GOPers who then helped cost us the House and Senate in 2006.
McClintock’s popularity NEVER took off in this state IMO.
He was good on immigration and economics, but wasn't able to sell himself at all.
But being he is out of the picture, who does the California Republican Party have going for Goov. after A.S.?
If they don't get going now, there will be a Democrat replacement for sure.
He’s got more stuff than even you can obviously appreciate. He is a wasted talent, under appreciated, for sure.
2010.. Poizner, Fiorina, Whitman,, all fine upstanding middle of the roaders.. and loaded, of course.
Ray Haynes should be in the mix but won’t because he isn’t a gazillionaire... and because of attitudes like yours and many others unfortunately in the state and specificaly the GOP, likely will never hold office again.
Unfortunately the talent today has to be a complete picture or they can never raise to the top.
Or what is worse, their facade has to be the best and substance can lag behind by a large measure.
IF people would get more interested in politics and read the issues to understand what is happening, people like McClintock wouldn't have to win the beauty portion of the political races in order to serve and you'd get better people in more often.
That is a sad commentary... and good luck getting people to actually study issues, they want the issues spoon-fed to them in 10 second soundbites.
The day elections became “beauty contests”, the terrorists won.
We all end up paying for it as a result.
#1 Those paid/bribed through support and employment to vote for those who want everything through the government.
IMO that consists of 32%+ of the vote every election
#2 The rest are mostly those who are not politically active and fall almost always for the commercials about how everything is for the children, firefighters, police and teachers who are going to suffer...which is BS.
What Republicans/conservatives in California are against is an automatic 32%+ that only needs to grasp 18%+ of the non committed vote to win.
Republicans IMO have maybe a 18%+ base of very conservative voters who are independent and into self sufficiency.
They every election have to come up with 32%+ of the uncommitted vote to win.
IMO Republicans have twice the uncommitted vote to win that Democrats do in this state and that is my opinion why we have such a difficult state to gather steam in.
You would think after endless elections with the same children, firefighters, police and teachers threats being used that some would learn from past mistakes, but they don't seem to at all IMO.
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