Posted on 05/15/2005 11:14:58 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
California is off the plastic - for now. For the first time since recalled Gov. Gray Davis went on his spend-a-thon half a decade ago, a governor has proposed a budget that will not resort to new borrowing.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did it Friday with his May revision of his January budget proposal for fiscal year 2005-06, which begins July 1. A tax windfall of $4 billion this year allowed the governor to rescind $1.7 billion in deficit bond borrowing proposed in his January budget.
And the governor would impose no new taxes. As he pointed out in his Friday press conference, taxpayers are already providing the hefty new revenues.
The bad news is that his budget still spends too much. The general fund budget proposal would spend $88.5 billion, up from the $82 billion in fiscal 2004-05.
That's a hefty 7.9 percent increase at a time when few businesses or citizens saw their incomes rise that much.
This state won't get out of its fiscal morass until its budgets roll back the wild spending of the Gray Davis years. So far, Gov. Schwarzenegger has only partially accomplished that goal.
As he did last year, the governor used some of the unexpected new revenues to restore cuts proposed in his January budget proposal.
Yes, Orange County certainly needs the $230 million in new road and transit funds it stands to get as part of $1.3 billion in Proposition 42 road-building money he would restore.
--snip--
But the restoration of Prop. 42 money should have been achieved through reductions in spending in other areas. The new tax revenues should have been refunded to the taxpayers who worked so hard and so generously paid the money or used to pay down state debt.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
Even if Arnie has not gotten aggressive enough on spending cuts, at least we have suppressed the runaway spending so typical of the far-left liberals that still infest our state government. It is a plus.
"But the restoration of Prop. 42 money should have been achieved through reductions in spending in other areas."
This is somewheat disingenous -- don't take it away from me, take it away from the other guy.
I would beg to differ that much impact has been made spending-wise to this point.
The last 2 budget cycles are pretty indicative of how tenuous a position this state is in.
That's a hefty 7.9 percent increase at a time when few businesses or citizens saw their incomes rise that much.
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Does it really matter anymore to anyone that there is no end in sight, even with a "conservative' as Gub.
I would beg to differ that much impact has been made spending-wise to this point.
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In detail, I hope you are right. We know the typical recipients of liberal-style spending, the unions, our state educators (indoctrinators), those with their nose in the government pig-trough, have really been squealing lately -- just watching all those whining ads on TV makes me reach for the puke bucket. I would agree that accountability in government (includes spending) is key to getting our once-great state back in order. Until that happens, we will continue to be victims (the real providers and tax-paying citizens) of excessive government dole-outs.
"Does it really matter anymore to anyone that there is no end in sight, even with a "conservative' as Gub."
People keep ignoring that he has an overwhelmingly Democrat Legislature.
Long before you showed up at FR with your little moderate is OK by me tin drum, I was all over that little entity known as the manure pit of the West. Thank You Very Much.
Even if Arnie has not gotten aggressive enough on spending cuts
The Austrian has made NO spending cuts. He has increased spending.
at least we have suppressed the runaway spending so typical of the far-left liberals
Even this article points out that the Austrian increased spending almost 8% while income has remained relatively constant. This fits the definition of continued runaway spending since, outside a legal tactic that may backfire, the state still takes in less than it spends, even at 2004/2005 levels.
Even this article points out that the Austrian increased spending almost 8% while income has remained relatively constant.
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True - and this whole discussion is really academic, since until the state GETS SERIOUS about MAJOR expenditures like educating, medicating and feeding illegal immigrants ($10B per year) which can be eliminated if the state and its citizens become more important than POLITICS, then we can talk real spending cuts. In a financial system that is properly managed, cuts first should hit items which ARE NOT NECESSARY. This is just one BIG example...and looking at where the state spends the MAJORITY of its money...that should be a priority target as well...
A universe were a politician can do no wrong as long as he has an (R) behind his name...
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Just another note. I don't call myself a Republican anymore, but a Conservative. And I am certainly not a Bush-bot or an Arnie-bot. I firmly believe only one thing counts when it comes to politicians...AND THAT IS PERFORMANCE, what actually GETS DONE. Talk and lies come cheap, as especially the liberals have proven, and should be disregarded.
We're just jousting here for now. ;-)
Wait until the budget debacle kicks into high gear this summer.
The problem is the Gub loves all social spending programs and wants to spend more if he can get his hands on the dough.
He made no secret of that a long time ago when he ran.. His minimalist approach to cutting almost nothing from the budget last year bore that out.
W.A.S.S.
He made no secret of that a long time ago when he ran.. His minimalist approach to cutting almost nothing from the budget last year bore that out.
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Agreed for sure. Only performance counts and that is what he and every politician must be measured on. At least he is better off than Davis, which is probably not really saying much, given how BAD that crook Davis was.
Sigh. Let me be the first to say it: Arnold, as Governor, is a girlie man.
"Long before you showed up at FR with your little moderate is OK by me tin drum"
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You are distorting my position enourmously. My position is and has been: Schwarzenegger is vastly superior for California than Bustamante.
In a choice between Schwarzenegger and Bustamante, I am proud to choose Schwarzenegger.
No, it means fund it through SPENDING CUTS, not through one-time enhanced revenues (taxes) from a questionable amnesty program. There is nothing disingenous about that! It was the "fiscally conservative" platform that he ran on but appears to have deleted from his script.
The rate of spending with Arnold has increased at a more rapid rate than under Gray Davis. Nothing has been suppressed. The only difference between Arnold and the libs is that Arnold borrowed $15 Billion to supplement his spending addiction and the Dems would have taxed you for it. Republicans would have never supported or allowed a Dem-sponsored Constitutional Amendment to allow borrowing as they did with Arnold (R).
Unless fiscal conservatives quit enabling the Governor by applauding this mediocre performance and demand he use his Veto Pen, the recall will have accomplished nothing.
You are distorting my position enourmously. My position is and has been: Schwarzenegger is vastly superior for California than Bustamante. In a choice between Schwarzenegger and Bustamante, I am proud to choose Schwarzenegger.
He was not distorting your position and was incredibly kind in his description of past behavior. You applaud mediocre moves, fail to acknowledge the leftists that Arnold has appointed to high level positions, post duplicate threads where you don't like the negative comments posted on the first one, etc, etc, etc... and cut and run when you are proven to be wrong.
Using the argument today that Schwarzenegger is better than Bustamante is not only "disingenuous" but irrelevant. When this Governor looks and acts like a liberal, a genuine position would be to question those actions. Instead, we see "Arnold should be applauded...", "Another good step by Arnold...", etc.
FR History shows not only that "moderate is OK" with you, but that most anything that Arnold (R) does is okay. A meek opposition to his environmental platform in 2005 does not make up for ignoring it in 2003 when it was being exposed as written by the leftists he has since used as advisors and placed in high positions.
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