Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has fought a valiant battle for the past seven years, but with a Democratic majority in the state government his efforts on behalf of taxpayers are sadly diluted. As long as the California voters continue to elect Democrats, the tax-and-spend Sacramento mentality will continue to the great detriment of the State of California.
The politicians will tell you that they need the funds to balance the budget, but that policy is driven by the civil service unions that always want more and more of our tax dollars. The Democrats get elected by the dues paid by union members; so, yes, they do need more taxes to pay more salaries and benefits to the union members.
When the rest of the U.S. industries are cutting, it is time the state cut by reducing salaries and benefits across the board, and, yes, the sacred cows—fire and police and everyone else—to the level of the state income that we can afford as taxpayers. Instead of raising taxes or laying off the poor souls at the bottom of the rung, cut everyone equally and keep them employed. Use furloughs and cut salaries. The fat cats at the top should feel the wrath of the taxpayers, too.
The governor is also responsible for some of this mess. His insistence on environmental, “save the earth” programs is causing much of the state’s business and investment losses. The religion of environmentalism does nothing to improve anything, but costs the taxpayers dearly in jobs and taxes. Too much green sucks, and the sooner we dump the state’s green laws the sooner we will balance the budget without raising our taxes.
The solution to getting the balanced budget we taxpayers voted into law years ago is fewer Democrats, i.e. union dictators, and eliminating the draconian green programs.
Send the message to the Dems in Sacramento and the unions that the taxpayers are fed up with their wasteful programs by de-electing them in the next election.
This article appears in Jun 4-11, 2009.