Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives his State of the State address on Thursday morning at the state Capitol.
Posted on 01/15/2009 11:52:00 AM PST by SmithL
Calling for "a year of political courage," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked for nothing in his State of the State address today except a solution to California's deepening budget woes.
"I will not give the traditional State of the State address today, because the reality is that our state is incapacitated until we resolve the budget crisis," the governor said in a 13-minute speech that was interrupted only once, when he referred to the courage of California firefighters. "The $42 billion deficit is a rock upon our chest, and we cannot breathe until we get it off."
Schwarzenegger said, "It doesn't make any sense to talk about education, infrastructure, water, health care reform and all these things when we have this huge budget deficit. I will talk about my vision for all of these things ... and more ... as soon as we get the budget done."
In his sixth, and next-to-last, annual kickoff speech, Schwarzenegger told other constitutional officers, legislators and onlookers in the Assembly chambers that if the Legislature cannot pass a budget for the coming fiscal year by the constitutionally mandated deadline of June 15 -- something they've managed to do just four times in the past 20 years -- their salaries and expense payments should be suspended.
"If the people's work is not getting done, the people's representatives should not get paid either," said the governor, who amassed a fortune as a movie star and businessman and does not draw a state salary. "You have to admit it is a brilliant idea."
"And look at the happy faces out there," the governor ad-libbed when his suggestion was met by silence from lawmakers. "I love that."
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
"And look at the happy faces out there," the governor ad-libbed when his suggestion was met by silence from lawmakers. "I love that."Ever the showman
Ahhh, Arnold?
How’d that work out for Dan Rather?
In other words, yet higher taxes.
Courage isn’t going to do anything, they need trainloads of 1,000 dollar bills.
How about the courage to drastically cut spending. How about the courage to cut off ALL benefits for illegal aliens? How about the courage to cut taxes and encourage growth?
He should call for a movie ticket tax - it’s for the children
LOL! The state is broke, people are fleeing, illegals keep flooding in.
Ladies and Gentlemen - I give you Rome as the visigoths, vandals and huns (aka illegal aliens) pillage Rome while the corrupt senators fiddle like Nero.
instead of courage he should have asked for a brain like the scarecrow
Where’s Maria’s by-line??? He checks all out with her - the expert politico like her cousin, Caroline, - maybe he should blame it on her? But then he’d be a girly-man - but isn’t he if she has him by the (ahem) nose all the time? The Terminator trailing after The Jaw?
Broke Broke Broke!
His 2008 address, as prepared, clocked in at 3,026 words. This year's speech is a mere 1,364 words.
Lt. Governor Garamendi, Chief Justice George, President pro Tem Steinberg, Speaker Bass, Senate Republican Leader Cogdill, Assembly Republican Leader Villines, Members of the legislature, ladies and gentlemen, we meet in times of great hope for our nation.
Although we hear the drumbeat of news about bailouts, bankruptcies and Ponzi schemes, the nation with great anticipation is also awaiting the inauguration of a new president.
Our nation should be proud of what President-elect Obama's election says to the world about American openness and renewal.
President Reagan used to tell about the letter he got from a man who said that you can go to live in Turkey, but you can't become a Turk. You can go to live in Japan, but you cannot become Japanese. And he went through other countries.
"But," the man said, "anyone from any corner of the world can come to America and become an American."
And now, we know that any American child, no matter what corner of the world his father or mother comes from, can even become President of the United States.
What a wonderful national story for us.
This nation rightfully feels the hope of change. . . .
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/018621.html
I apologize to FReepers living in California, but it gives me a warm feeling seeing the problems there.
Howz about firing every liberal? That should save - around - 99.9% of the budget, and also raise the work coefficient of the state by some orders of magnitude.
2. Sell off any state assets, such as buildings, which are not absolutely necessary.
The Joint Operating Environment (JOE 2008) report should have added California along with Mexico as at Risk of ‘Rapid and Sudden Collapse’.
dis-ban government employee unions.
As I have mentioned in previous threads concerning California’s financial state; it is the highest ranked in population, and 3rd. in area, and yet the state is in the red.
That’s Socialism/Communism for you.
Get rid of all those “social” programs, encourage entrepreneurial interests, boot the illegals out, and the economy will recover.
Our buddy owned a business in the state until recently. The taxes and regulations were killin’ the business, so he closed up shop, as I’m sure many others have done.
Recently drove up Hwy 395 and couldn’t help but notice the closed shops in all those towns dotting the valley. I also couldn’t help but notice all the Hispanic people in those communities. We’ve spent a lot of time in the Eastern Sierra and have never noticed so many Hispanics as we experienced in recent time.
I wonder if the millions of illegals here in California
costing us billions of dollars a year on their social services and crimes wern’t here - we might not have the major budget crisis.
Just a simple math reasoning.
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