The Governator cut 100% of the Battered Women's Shelter Program today in California.

[ourbluenation]

I run one of them.

This is a devastating loss to our program. There was a budget agreement that included a cut to us of 20% but some assembly members took issue with the budget compromise involving offshore oil drilling leases, and borrowing from local governments, which I get. They then sent him up a budget that wasn't balanced by about $1 billion, he took out his blue pen, and we.were.gone.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. I am sorry, I am starting to wonder how long until...

people do the same thing they did in the 1930s... aka riots.

The part of Cali history nobody teaches

[ourbluenation]

5. we were just a small part of his "blue pen solution" being shouldered by the poor and down trodden,

From my experience, battered women with resources who decide to make the break from their abuser usually don't stay in our shelter. Our shleter clients are mostly poverty-stricken with nowhere to turn.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. I know, the way the cuts were designed they will hit many areas

of the state... including 9.11 dispatch at many places. In that sense they tried to hit all sectors. But we will see riots.

[ourbluenation]

41. but very few were eliminted completely like this. why he holds us in such little regard

I'll never know. I don't want to know.

[Thothmes]

53. instead of rioting, maybe they should whip out their

check books and pony up a lot of money to pay for these worthwile programs.

[bkkyosemite]

2. He is the terminator I'm calling tomorrow and screaming in your defense.

[ourbluenation]

7. thank you. how anyone can justify 100% elimination of a shelter program is beyond me.

I get cuts, but 100% elimination? I'm still in shock.

[Odin2005]

23. This is the GROPEnator we are talking about here, what do you expect?

Ahhhnold shows in his past behavior that he is perfectly OK with abusing women.

[southerncrone]

49. Just part of the Repuke dogma......they are women-haters.

Women are objects for their amusement, servitude or abuse in their eyes. If they had their way, we'd be in shackles & shoved out of sight.

[truedelphi]

65. One point to ponder - many have speculated

That Maria Shriver is emotionally abused, if not something more.


And having met people who knew Ahnold back when he was just a guy working out in a gym, he was not a pleasant person (too many steroids?)

The only good thing I have heard is that he was a regular pothead.

[firehorse]

3. Holy crap, sista!

I'm so sorry to hear this, what are you going to do?

[ourbluenation]

8. do what we can to keep the shelter operational, layoffs and salary reductions.

tomorrow my blue pen comes out. :(

[Wickerman]

4. I undertand the Dems are saying its not within his legal right to do so

and will fight for the return of those dollars. I hope they are able to accomplish that. And, I hope you get reinstated. I am very sorry. DV is horribly underfunded as it is in this country, what a blow.

[ourbluenation]

15. Thanks Wickerman. I appreciate that. n/t

[Democrats_win]

6. The Gropenator get his groove on. nt

[prostomulgus]

9. Time to impeach the govinator.

They could have fixed this whole thing by simply making the rich pay their fair share -- there are plenty of VERY rich people in CA. Instead, they're cutting the most important programs designed to help the most needy of the population. Battered women, children, elderly -- all are now more desperate than ever.

[ourbluenation]

12. he's a lame duck. and don;t even get me going on how raising revenues wasn't

even considered. I've spoken to the few republican friends I have and they all said they would be in favor of some increase in taxes.

[SeattleGirl]

11. I am so sorry.

Obviously he doesn't get it that these shelters are vital. To defund them is an abomination.

[KamaAina]

13. Tell me why I'm considering entering the social services field up there, again?

Going up Thursday, in fact. What could I possibly be thinking? :dunce: Looks like the particular program I'd be in is safe, though -- for now. :eyes:

edit: Dept. of Redundancy Dept.

[ourbluenation]

14. pm me more details and I'll let you know what I know.

[Mnemosyne]

16. What an ass, heinous, imo. KnR. n/t

[Bodhi BloodWave]

17. i'm sorry to hear about that, but i have one question tho

unless I'm wrong California tends to have a lot of 'for or against' votes on different things compared to a number of other states yes?

And most that gets voted up helps the people and a lot of those turned down are motions that would put cash into the state coffers(aka we want a lot but don't want to pay for it)

wouldn't that tie the California government more and more on where they can get/cut to get the money for the approved programs?

Aside from the above tho, i hope you find a way to stay open, or alternatively a way to get the cut reversed

[ourbluenation]

21. most of what you pointed out is correct. Also, California depends on income taxes

more than most states as a revenue source. when the economy is good for the average californian, social programs are funded, when it's bad, the cuts start coming. but this is unprecedented. 100% of the program? I'm still in shock.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

32. quite understandable, my mind boggles at the 100% as well

Hopefully something will end up changing that tho, and thanks for verifying the above(its always nice to know the facts properly after all)

[Triana]

18. Always one of the first things to be cut...

..services to women, the children, and the poor, and public services - stuff that is needed MOST.

Figures. Governator is a dirtbag. Republicans are dirtbags.

[Hissyspit]

19. Yes, but he's sooo proud he didn't raise taxes.

He's for sexually harrassing women, anyway.

[Thothmes]

56. last time I checked, it takes the California Legisltature

to raise taxes. The Governor is not a dictator, he cannot raise taxes unilaterily. No tax increase to pay for these programs is the responsibility of the California State Legislature, they are the only folks that can raise taxes.

[tekisui]

20. That is tragic.

It shows how far gone we are. I am sorry for what they've done to you. And, I want to thank you for what you do. Thank you. I wish you and your operation the very best, hopefully something will give and a break will come.

[Odin2005]

22. Holy shit, that's fucking EVIL!

I volunteer at a rape and abuse crisis center here in Fargo and so I can understand clearly how devastating this is. Evil, pure evil. :grr:

[ourbluenation]

26. Bless you for volunteering. You are the wind beneath our wings.

:hug:

[Odin2005]

27. Thank you!

:hug:

[EmeraldCityGrl]

34. Budget cuts like this are going to start

hitting the blind masses in ways they can't possibly imagine.
We are now approaching the worst of times. for so many people.

[texastoast]

24. Thank you

And a big K&R.

This is just wrong. Where'd all the money go?

[BlooInBloo]

25. Good job, CA electorate.

[musette_sf]

28. contact the First Lady and let her know what you think:

First Lady Maria Shriver
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Also:

go to the "women's" website Maria fronts, join the forums, and let them know what you think about this!

http://www.californiawomen.org

[Liberal_in_LA]

29. do you receive funds from any other sources?

[ourbluenation]

31. yes. the rape crisis componant of our agency is fully funded but the dv side

now, not so much. Edited to add that some of sister agencies are 100% funded by that source alone. Small, rural safe houses mostly. On a conference call today I heard some of them say they would have to close their doors.

[Ignis]

30. And down the drain we go...

My wife used to volunteer at a shelter in SF, and she'll be devastated to hear this. :(

Hang in there.

[glitch]

33. I'd say unbelievable, except I do believe it. So sorry to have to K & R this abysmal news. nt

[Kadie]

35. Damn!

:mad:

[Cleita]

36. Nevermind...I'm sure he has a plan

to sell state backed private insurance for it, like he's peddling for seniors.

[donheld]

37. I'm so Sorry

California is screwed!

[Hekate]

38. I'm so sorry. Will you be able to make up any of the funds at all from other sources?

Was all of your funding from government? We have our own shelters here in Santa Barbara county, and I wonder about their fate as well....

This is horrible. :cry:

Hekate

[Odin2005]

39. KICK, MORE REC'S, PLEASE!!!

[annm4peace]

40. this should have over 100 votes

I hope these woman sue the Gov

[Odin2005]

44. Many DUers have shown elsewhere that it's OK to throw women's rights under the bus.

[bobbolink]

63. You are so right about that. The sexism here is DISGUSTING!

After witnessing the ugly things said on DU, stuff like this closure doesn't surprise me at all.

PREJUDICE HAS CONSEQUENCES.

[lexanman]

42. I have been saying now, it is just not bad enough yet for most people

there will be a tipping point. The French Revolution was not peaceful.

[mzmolly]

43. OMG, I'm so very sorry.

:(

[followthemoney]

45. This is a capital strike. There is plenty of money around...

it is just concentrated in the hands of a few. The few aren't going to invest or loan it without the prospect of a high return. So for right now the best they can do is to drive wages down to further concentrate capital in the future.

This is the reason the top rate was ninety per cent up to Eisenhower's time. The wealthy bastards are sitting on the money that would enable the economy to function again. The ability to provide goods and services are still there in the working people. The need for those goods and services is still there. The only thing lacking is the money used to coordinate these functions.

We are being driven back into feudalism by a lockout organized by the finance system. May they all burn in Hell.

[Odin2005]

69. I've read that taxes were high then because the rich were more scared of inflation than they...

...were of high taxes. Once the monetary policy needed to control inflation was fully figured out the elites stopped putting up with high taxes.

[followthemoney]

79. Tax brackets were reduced long before inflation...

was controlled by monetary policy.

Paul Volker increased interest rates to 19 per cent in 1979 in order to reduce inflation. He blamed the inflation on the high standard of living of the average American which, in his opinion, had to be reduced. The wealthy Americans got more and the poor Americans got less in this reduction of the average.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

46. The war on the citizenry is being waged in full force.

This behavior by our "elected politicians" is beyond reprehensible.

[gratuitous]

47. When the corpses start coming in - and they will

I propose that they be distributed on a rotating basis on the front steps of Ah-nuld and the Republicans in the state assembly. The women will have more dignity in death than the Republicans ever accorded them in life, they will be mute testimony against the men who executed them, and the assemblymen will have a nice graphic for their re-election campaign literature.

[followthemoney]

73. We need large public funeral parades when the dead

victims of this capital strike start coming in. Only overt sympathy for the dead will arouse the apathetic out of their stupor.

The media will not show it unless the funeral parade comes under attack by the police.

Remember, your life is on the line either way.

[backtoblue]

48. Terrible, tragic news for so many who need those services...

K & R


I hope your shelter can find enough funding elsewhere to survive. :hug:

[bobbolink]

50. Charge him with MURDER for every battered woman who dies because

she had no where to turn.

I'm distressed for you, but not surprised. When I see the amount of SEXISM right here on DU, and see the laughter about pain women live with....no, it doesn't surprise me.

:cry:

[Thothmes]

57. As every elected representative in the California Legislature

they are the ones that have proven incabable of providing a budget that could fund the program.

[Odin2005]

70. Yep, there are DUers that are OK with DATE RAPE. Disgusting!

:puke:

[Hannah Bell]

51. to fund the battered bankers' tax shelter program. hey, who needs it more?

[slay]

52. Tax the ULTRA-RICH!!

And I mean - tax the fuck out of them! 90%! We allow them to make this obscene amount of profit while the rest of us are losing our jobs!?!? They OWN our congress - they OWN our jobs. Corporations run everything - and they run it into the shitter. So yeah - tax the fuckers! Tax um til they BLEED!!! :grr:

[Bigmack]

54. They won... the "drown government..

in a bathtub"/Prop 13/ Nordquist people won. This is what they wanted... government so small that it's powerless to help people.

When those folks smack the old lady around, they don't want shelters for her where she'll blab..... she was just getting lippy anyway!

[joeybee12]

55. This really, really, really sucks...I'd heard this is unconstitutional...

...using the line-item veto on a budget reconcilliation and not an actual budget...hope this is so and funding is restored...what a d**k.

[Quantess]

58. Sorry to hear it.

That's quite a loss for the state.

[Geek_Girl]

59. I honestly don't understand why Californian's voted to put this Nazi in office

Isn't California suppose to be liberal?

[bobbolink]

62. I wouldn't be at all surprised if HE is a batterer himself!

In a lot of ways, he fits the profile.

[NNN0LHI]

75. They loved their Reagan too

Liberal but not so bright some of them.

Don

[ourbluenation]

60. thank you all for the words of support. I've been on conference calls twice today

w our statewide coalition members. It was very discouraging to hear of the closures of safe houses and programs that this loss represents. My little community is rallying behind us and it's made me break down and cry only 5 times today. :)

Saddest story though was the one about the administrators getting the news about the loss of their program funds, and hearing one of their shelter clients had been murdered all at the same time.

People will die without a safe house.

I just got off the phone, totally coincidentally, with a former client making a business call. She said we saved her life many years ago.

If you live in California please call your local dv agency and ask them how you can help and who you can call.

oh god - here come the tears again.

shit.

[Cha]

61. And, what will the side effects

of that be?! Not good.

[pleah]

64. This just makes me ill.

How does that bastard sleep at night?

[Odin2005]

66. KICK

[Canuckistanian]

67. California just became a meaner place for women in distress

This is one of those things that REALLY causes a downfall in civilization.

Forget cuts to roads. Forget cuts to parks and facilities.

This one will REALLY hurt people in a far-reaching way.

Mark my words.

[ourbluenation]

71. what it means is that with no safe house to go to, they don't go. n/t

[AngryAmish]

68. Is there a way to have a DU fundraiser?

Every little bit helps. Talk to the Admins.

[ourbluenation]

72. thx but with 94 agencies across the state I don't know. Better to contact them directly & CALL YOUR

REPS! (if you live in calibroknia)

[proteus_lives]

74. That sucks.

I once spent a couple nights in a battered women's shelter with my mom when I was a kid. They are important places.

[varelse]

76. That is a budget cut that will literally get people killed

very quickly. We couldn't tax oil or let non-violent prisoners out early, so we did this?

[MzNov]

77. Yes, and it's oh so painful for him.

:sarcasm:

I'm afraid by the time he finally gets his flabby ass out of Sacramento, he will have done more damage to CA than BushCo did to the rest of the country.

CA will be one giant swath of scorched, raped, pillaged, gutted, earth, with piles of bodies and destroyed cities. The Terminator strikes again.

:cry:

[Odin2005]

78. Kick for the morning crowd.