A couple of weeks ago, I had a lengthy conversation with my friend Debra Saunders, a columnist over at the San Francisco Chronicle. We were talking about the fact that all of the Republicans in the State Legislature (save one) had just signed the Americans for Tax Reform no new taxes pledge.
Debra was making the case to me that she thought that it didn’t make a lot of sense to sign a pledge against ever raising taxes, using the argument that if you spend the money, you have to be able to pay for it — and that spending more than you have (deficit spending) was a worse alternative.
Debra made a point that the focus is always on not raising taxes, rather than on not increasing spending.
As Debra and I spoke, somehow we ended up talking about the fact that what is really needed in California is a "no new spending" pledge. This is so true.
Tomorrow there will be a lot of news coverage of a "deal" struck on prison reform, to deal with the massive prison overcrowding issue, and the looming specter of a federal judge doing who-knows-what if we don’t solve the problem.
Given that the starting-off point for the loony left in the Capitol was a spiffy new commission to start shortening the sentences of convicts, and beginning an early release program statewide, the deal does represent some important victories for Republicans. As a matter of fact, try (really) to not let my next paragraph diminish the significant achievement of Senator Ackerman and Assemblyman Villines in moving the Dems off of the left axis…
But there is no doubt that California taxpayers already send too much money to Sacramento. There is no doubt that if we had 120 Republican legislators in Sacramento, we would be able to solve this overcrowding problem by building prisons with budget funds, instead of sticking it to our kids again with billions and billions in borrowing.
Then again, if we had an all GOP legislature, we would have a lean government and then fiscal libertarians like me could actually support a bond measure for prisons — after all, capital expenditures that will last generations can be paid for over time, when your fiscal house is in order. Ours, sadly, is not.
So getting back to Debra Saunders. Debra, we do need a no new spending pledge. We just keep spending more, and more, and more.
I’m sure that most Republicans will vote for this bond package tomorrow (it is structured so that the people will not vote on it, just legislators). But I hope for all of them it is a bitter-sweet vote. Because each and every one of them knows that without substantial pay-as-you-go in the mix, we’re letting the Democrats off of the hook — leaving them free to continue to wreak havoc on our state’s budget priorities.
Clearly letting inmates out early is not an acceptable alternative – ever. But a victory from a criminal justice perspective is somewhat lessoned by the fiscal blow to everyone in the Golden State. By the way, a problem we can lay squarely at the feet of California Democrats.
Tonight I am glad I am not a State Legislator. What a horrible vote to have to cast. Being forced by a federal judge to foist massive billions in debt on California’s children, while their parents are gouged to fund a bloated state bureaucracy.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:00 am
If Spending is the probem, then Why are we, the hardworking taxpayers, giving our hard earned money to the drunken sailors in Sacramento? Where is the accountability and Taxpayers Rights?
We need to raise our white flags and say “We have had enough!”