The state legislature sauntered back from their month long July vacation on August 1 and promptly got back to what they were doing before, which is virtually nothing of substance about passing a budget. Now September is here, and there has still been no meaningful forward motion on a budget.
Liberal Democrat Barney Frank and Libertarian-leaning Republican Ron Paul are uniting to take on a budget behemoth: military spending. According to a Huffington Postarticle, which cited Frank's recently sanctioned bipartisan commission report, the Department of Defense currently
The Assemblyman behind Chelsea's Law, a piece of legislation which seeks to incarcerate sex offenders for life, is amending his bill to reduce its impact on the California state budget.
Legislative Democrats have proposed another one of their goofy tax swaps in an effort to lessen the gaping $19 billion budget deficit. Oh, pardon me, did I say “goofy.” Well, what else would you call a proposal that increases state income tax by 1% and lowers sales tax, claiming it will lessen the tax burden on Californians yet increase revenues by $1.8 billion?
More than a month into the state’s new fiscal year, Assembly and Senate Democrats proposed a joint budget that includes tax increases, causing Republican lawmakers and Governor Schwarzenegger to pronounce it dead on arrival. The plan would close a $17.9 billion budget gap largely through $8.4 billion in spending reductions, $4.1 billion in federal funds, and $2.4 billion in tax increases.
The moral bankruptcy of some of California’s politicians and police is contributing to the fiscal bankruptcy of the state. The intertwined tales of Maywood and Bell, neighboring cities in Los Angeles County, should serve as a warning to the people of California and the United States.
If it wouldn’t too terribly inconvenience the California legislature when they return from their month-long July vacation - taken in lieu of working together to pass a budget - could they possibly try to pass the budget when they return all sun-tanned and rested in August?
Earlier this week, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown released one of the few specific policy proposals of his campaign. Republican opponent Meg Whitman has criticized Brown for being too vague on his plan to reform California's struggling government.
On Monday, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill to plan celebrations for what would have been Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday next year, and another bill declaring February 6th as Ronald Reagan day. Nationwide, conservatives have been pining for their "next Reagan" to lead America out of its economic woes and toward a vision of limited government and individual liberty.
