Ahhhnuld to California's kids: Education? You don't need no stinkin' education....

[marmar]

from the San Francisco Chronicle:



Budget talks center on education spending
Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

Tuesday, July 14, 2009


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the top four legislative leaders haggling over the state's $26.3 billion deficit plan today to debate the thorny issue of education spending.

Schwarzenegger wants to suspend Proposition 98, a 1988 voter-approved law that guarantees funding levels for K-12 schools and community colleges. Suspension of those rules would allow the state to make deep cuts to education spending.

But the Republican governor's proposal has provoked sharp criticism from Democrats and the California Teachers Association.

The politically powerful teachers union began a statewide TV ad campaign last week criticizing the governor, and Schwarzenegger is firing back with a TV spot that will begin airing today arguing he will not sign any budget deal that includes taxes or does not eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in government.

While the debate rages on the airwaves, there has been optimism at the state Capitol that the state's top leaders are advancing in their budget talks after weeks of impasse.

Schwarzenegger and the lawmakers met over the weekend behind closed doors to jump-start negotiations. They did not meet Monday, instead giving their budget experts a day to analyze their weekend discussions that included proposals to cut health and welfare services. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/13/BAVB18NQA4.DTL

[BlooInBloo]

1. Good job, CA electorate.

[Myrina]

2. The GOP Mission: Send America back to to the 12th Century ...

:(

[sabbat hunter]

3. Until California

gets rid of prop 13 they are fucked for a long time.

[musette_sf]

6. + 1

i got a push poll call last week asking how much more i would pay in taxes to support my city's schools.

i said that the fundamental problem was Prop 13 and until its repeal is considered, quantifying "how much more would i pay in taxes" is not possible.

they hung up on me.

[mike_c]

7. +2

Yep.

[boobooday]

4. He's done quite well on minimal education . . . n/t

[hughee99]

5. Which is good, because many aren't getting one now, anyway. n/t

[JonQ]

8. The money has to come from somewhere

Education is a big portion of the budget, so . . .

California is bankrupt, they're paying people in IOUs. I'm not saying they're handling the budget cuts the best way possible, but something has to give. They voted down new taxes which means you have to spend less. And every expenditure was at one point deemed necessary by the voters (or else it wouldn't be in the budget) so they're down to cutting necessary spending.

It sucks but I really don't see an alternative. Unless they start printing their own money, which I'm pretty sure is illegal, or the economy miraculously picks up in the next few hours, which seems unlikely, they're in a real mess here.

[Hannah Bell]

9. There are numerous alternatives.

[JonQ]

11. Such as?

What other programs are not likewise facing cuts?

I've read reports they are closing down jails and scaling back police coverage, reducing health and unemployment benefits, etc. What isn't being cut that could be and make an appreciable difference in the overall budget?

[Hannah Bell]

13. such as a special tax assessment on incomes over 1 million & properties over 5 million.

[JonQ]

14. They voted down higher taxes.

[Hannah Bell]

15. they did, did they? i recall the details somewhat differently.

[JonQ]

17. Ok, when were higher taxes proposed recently

that were voted in by the majority of the populace?

[Garbo 2004]

16. People didn't vote down new taxes....that's Repub spin. There weren't new taxes

in the propositions put before the public. What was before the voters were a combination of more shell game budgeting: more borrowing of funds to cover deficits. The CA Legislature does not need to put fee/tax increases before the electorate.

But a two-thirds majority in Legislature is required to raise taxes and fees and the Repubs block substantive revenue measures. Although the Repubs do vote to pass regressive taxes such as the latest sales tax so it hits the most folks, including the poor and working class. And that reinforces people complaining about "tax and spend" gov't, the Repub mantra. And thus the Repubs crow and pretend that they are the champions of working folks.

But what isn't getting attention are the tax cuts/breaks to big business passed by the Legislature (Dems and Repubs) over many years that have contributed to reduction in revenue to the state. The public never gets to vote on those. Just last February, for example, while cutting the budget due to the "spending problem" the Leg passed what amounted to tax breaks to major corporations that would result in a loss of billions in state revenue. Brilliant, eh? In the midst of deficit and cash flow problems, let's cut revenue further.

[JonQ]

18. I don't think republicans are numerous enough in CA

to pass those all by themselves.

[Garbo 2004]

19. ? what are the "those" to which you refer? n/t

[Hannah Bell]

21. so you admit your "voted down tax thing was bs, & now move on to another talking point.

check.

[WI_DEM]

10. Yes kids, you can become a sexist body builder/movie star and be elected governor of CA!

[JVS]

12. School's out forever!

[Cha]

20. Isn't this like arnie's karma?

Weren't there $$$billions of $$$$ that enron stole from Cali and swartzen helped cover it up?

Remembering from years ago..arnold campaigned for gov on running it like a business and obviously a successful one..what happened to the schmart guy? In over his head?

[Yavin4]

22. So, CA Is Cutting Education for Kids and the Police

What could possibly go wrong with that plan?

:sarcasm: