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Laird Opens California Special Session Budget Hearing: “Tough Decisions on Cuts and Taxes Means Legislators Should Avoid Drawing Lines in the Sand”

Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), chair of the 4th Extraordinary Special Session Assembly Budget Committee, issued the following opening remarks from Friday’s Special Session Budget Committee hearing to consider Governor Schwarzenegger’s budget proposals:

“We are gathered today to begin to deal with the massive budget problem that California faces once again. We will hear today from both the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst on the depth of the problem and potential solutions.

When we passed the budget in September, we knew we were not yet out of the woods completely. But no one could have predicted the national and worldwide meltdown that we saw in October that has been the primary cause of the depth of the problem we now face.

But before we get to Finance and the LAO, let me make a few things clear:

First, there is no way that we can solve this budget problem with just cuts or with just revenues. I know folks on both sides will resist either cuts or taxes – but I urge you to avoid any lines in the sand, because I am certain that as we learn about the magnitude of the problem it will be clear to all that tough decisions on cuts and taxes will need to be made.

Second, it is critical that we act swiftly—hopefully this month—in beginning to deal with this problem. The sooner we act, the more the solutions can be spread across two fiscal years and the impacts will be less dramatic.

And third, we need fiscal relief from the federal government. As I mentioned before, the magnitude of this problem is due to the national and worldwide economic problems, and it is critical that the federal government provide fiscal relief to states that are bearing a large brunt of this downturn.

So let's be clear, we will need taxes and cuts, we need to act swiftly, and we need federal relief—by working together we can meet each of these and mitigate the most devastating impacts of the budget crisis that we now face.”

For more on the Governor’s proposals:

Assembly Budget Committee’s Summary Analysis of the Governor’s Proposed 08-09 Budget Adjustments

Legislative Analyst’s Overview of the Governor’s Special Session Budget Proposals

Posted on November 16, 2008

Comments

The Repubican's current contention that their refusal to vote to raise revenue is not ideological defies the facts. Republicans are part of the 1232Republican state legislators all over the country who have signed "The Pledge" never to vote for revenue increases that
is the means by which they can, as Reagan said, "starve the beast,"(Government). The "Pledge" (see Americans for Tax Reform's website) is the means by which they can, as Grover Norquist has said "shrink Government so small so we can
drown it in the bathtub."

If that isn't ideological, I don't know what is. By stonewalling any revenue increases they come one step closer to destroying public schools, starving programs for children, the elderly, disabled and poor, ignoring our crumbling infrastructure all to protect their Corporate
masters.

Their inflexible stance means we cannot fund services people want government to address. Why? Because the corporations want no regulations and the super wealthy do not want to pay for services. This is not your grandfather's Republican party that supported government because they knew that by having the best schools and infrastructure business would thrive. We must have resources to build a green economy and
restore what we have lost since the Republicans began this assault on government.

We cannot cut or borrow our way alone into solvency. Don't be fooled by Republican Fundamentalist Capitalist rhetoric.
We don't have a spending problem. We have a revenue problem because of our Republican's extremist stonewalling.
Watch them during the upcoming budget debates.
will any Republican be willing to compromise or will they remain steadfast in their ideologically driven refusal to consider any revenue increases? My bet is that they will remain staunchly united. They dare not break ranks as witessed by what their party did to Keith Richman.

Carole Lutness
Democratic nominee, 38th AD

Posted by: Carole Lutness at November 16, 2008 10:23 AM

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