GOP budget plan: Slash $10 billion from schools

[Auggie]

San Francisco Chronicle. 12-16-08

Republican state lawmakers unveiled their answer Monday to the state's budget crisis - a $22 billion plan that would avoid raising taxes, cut deeply into education spending and dip into voter-approved funds intended to pay for mental health services and children's health care.

The plan is the Republicans' first comprehensive proposal since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called a special legislative session last month to try to solve the state's fiscal crisis. That special session ended without any action by lawmakers, prompting Schwarzenegger to declare a fiscal emergency Dec. 1, the first day on the job for newly elected legislators, and to call another special session to fix the budget.

Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill of Modesto insisted Monday that raising taxes was not the answer to California's problems. Republicans have refused to consider tax increases as California's money problems piled up, and they can block any budget that includes increases because both the Assembly and Senate must muster two-thirds votes to approve a spending plan.

"We have said time and time again that because California taxpayers, quite frankly, are more burdened than the average taxpayer in this country, and the fact that we are ground zero as it relates to the economic realities that this country and the world face right now, we've got to find a better way," Cogdill said.

MORE: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/16/MN0P14OGGO.DTL

Republicans... worthless mother-%*@#$!

[TomInTib]

1. Yeah, that's it.

After all, there's no Future in Children is there?

Hell, they could come to my community and settle the Budget with the tax dollars that are skimmed by our 9,000 residents, alone.

[pinto]

2. For crying out loud. Prop 63 (2004) levied 1% of income over a million

to fund mental health services,

Proposition 63
Mental Health Services Expansion, Funding. Tax on Personal Incomes above $1 Million
State of California Initiative Statute

http://www.smartvoter.org/2004/11/02/ca/state/prop/63/

While I'm no fan of government by Proposition, overall, here in CA, it's what we've got. I supported this one on its merits.

Pulling funds out of this is a blow to mental health services in the state.

I'm advocating to the Dem legislators in Sacramento that a move be made on the 2/3 threshold for fiscal bills. That's the key to the budget problem.

It stifles negotiation and compromise - you know real *legislation* - while fostering alternative,
read Proposition, approaches to funding state and county services.

Aggghh.

(ed for accuracy)