PUBLIC HEALTHCARE FOR THE CHILDREN OF CRIMINALS?
There is no doubt that the budget process in Sacramento is all messed up. When I was in Sacramento this week, I expected to find an institution filled with lots of hearings and activity surrounding the important public work of reviewing the Governor’s proposed budget, and making observations, proposing changes, etcetera. Of course, with Democrats controlling both houses, I was sure that my blood would boil at most of their tinkering.
That said, what I found was a lot of NOTHING going on, relative to legislators and the budget. A visit with Senator Tom McClintock was helpful as "Professor Tom" tutored me on how the budget process has really become a streamlined process, that jumps from what was the beginning of a budget process (subcommittee hearings) all of the way to, in essence, a final vote on a ‘conference committee report’ that is really a vote on a package negotiated by the "Big 5" (Governor, and the four top legislative leaders). Of course, this package comes out at the last minute and there is massive confusion about what is actually in, or not in, the final product. Dysfunction reigning supreme!
Gone is the ability for legislators or the public, represented by interest groups, engaged citizenry, or even political website publishers to be able to review the proposals with a critical eye.
Here is a great example of an item I found out about by chance (h/t to FR friend State Senator Jim Battin) — did you know that the current budget proposed by the administration currently contains TENS OF MILLONS OF DOLLARS SPECIFICALLY FOR HEALTHCARE FOR CRIMINAL ALIENS? Yes, it is true. Tucked away inside of the $100,000,000,000++ (that is a hundred billion big ones) is a relatively small expenditure that was described to me by Battin like this:
There are 18 county based programs called Children’s Health Initiatives that cover uninsured children in families below 300% of poverty (that’s $60K!) who are ineligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. The Administration wants to spend $23 million to help counties with enrollment. This is explicitly a county run program, not state run, so the new spending means the state is now assuming responsibility for county health programs. So, it’s a bad idea from a fiscal standpoint. But the kicker is the primary function of these programs is to provide public health insurance for illegal immigrants.
Apparently lead Senate and Assembly GOP negotiators are aware of this, and have it in their crosshairs. I can’t imagine any responsible legislator, or the Governor, supporting benefits like these that act as a magnet/incentive for people to cross into the country in violation of our immigration laws.
But this is like finding one symptom of an illness. The problem is the lack of an open, vetting process where concerns about items like this would come out in the open in policy committee debates, and through a deliberative process. As a conservative, I am sure that the legislators who echo my point of view would probably lose most if not all votes on these issues. But at least then everyone would understand what is in the final package, and it becomes the POLICIES and SPENDING inside of the budget proposal that guide the process, not the POLITICS of the TIMING of getting a budget out.
Legislators should make it clear that this public health insurance proposal for illegal aliens is a non-starter, and then there should be a demand for a public budget process. There may be 2/3’s vote in each house for a lot of horrific spending, but right now we are headed towards a different kind of dilemma — legislators being forced to cast late-night votes on a budget when they don’t even know what’s really in it.
ELTON GALLEGLY WAS EASILY RENOMINATED BY THE GOP
You may recall a few months ago that there was much to-do about longtime GOP Congressman Elton Gallegly of Ventura County deciding (for health reasons) to retire — but that he had already irrevocably filed for re-election. It was "the news" in California politics for a few days. Anyways, I asked FR friend David Tennesson, the Vice Chairman of the local Ventura County GOP, to pen a piece letting us all know how that ultimately played out. It is featured on the main page.
ARNOLD: DiFI WANTS TO TAKE YOU DOWN!
Finally, I would like to first applaud Governor Schwarzenegger for quickly making it clear that he has endorsed all of his fellow Republicans running for Statewide Constitutional office. That said, it gives one pause that not only has he not endorsed Republican Dick Mountjoy for the United States Senate (the party’s nominee) but it sounds like he doesn’t plan to anytime soon.
In the Sacramento Bee today, Arnold’s campaign manager Steve Schmidt is quoted as saying, "Like most Californians, he thinks Dianne Feinstein is a great senator."
A quick look at the endorsements page of the Phil Angelides for Governor campaign will show that California’s "great Senator" thinks so highly of Arnold Schwarzenegger that she is co-chairman of his opponent’s campaign.
(FR State Capitol Correspondent Karen Hanretty talks about this more extensively on the FR weblog.)
Have a great day!
Jon
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