"ICEBERG, DEAD AHEAD!"
Editing and publishing this website, I read a lot of news stories and columns. So I find it fascinating that so many of our Republican legislators, who have year after year voted against putting massive bond measures on the ballot, are now flocking to support a collection of bond 
measures that would represent the most borrowing – ever – for the Golden State. As a matter of fact, a number of the bond packages are being authored by Republican legislators, and we’ll be talking about that in the coming days. There is a saying that goes like this, "No one has the ability to grow government more than a Republican Chief Executive." Is that what this is all about? Massive borrowing, when proposed by Democrats, is wasteful and irresponsible. But when it is proposed by a Republican, then it is okay. What should be resolute and total opposition to ANY borrowed unless it is only to make up a past shortfall in return for a major commitment going forward to fund billions of infrastructure investment right out of the general fund, has turned into some debate about making sure the borrowing is tied to reforms in the way that borrowed money is spent. This completely misses the point. The issue isn’t how you spend the borrowed money, it is the borrowing of the money in the first place!
I am reminded of that saying, "This is like rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic." It truly is… The legislature is being asked to place vast amounts of borrowing in front of the voters. Right now, this is like turning the wheel of our ship of state and pointing it right at an iceberg. While GOP leaders in the legislature talk about peripheral issues like "limiting debt ratio" or "exempting building proposals from SEQA regulation" and other such matters — our ship, and our economy, are going to plow right into the iceberg.
A better use of time would be for Republicans to put the onus on Democrats. Our state’s general fund is bigger than ever in the history of California. Why don’t Republicans introduce legislation to devote $6-8 billion a year on infrastructure investment. It can be paid for by imposing an austerity program on every other facet of state government. If we don’t do something like this, then I recommend that if there are any rock-solid fiscal conservatives in our GOP caucuses, that they start making their way to the life rafts. Because like in the tragic sinking of the HMS Titanic, there aren’t enough life rafts to go around…
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