Yesterday the California State Assembly convened a rare Sunday session for what was an important vote on a state budget.  Of course, the only budget bill to come up for a vote was that written by Democrat lawmakers — one that responds to the crisis created by their overspending by heaping billions of dollars of new taxes on Californians.  It was well known throughout all political circles that the outcome of yesterday’s vote was pre-ordained, because Democrats are unwilling to make the additional necessary cuts in state spending to balance the state’s books without penalizing taxpayers with a tax hike, and Republican lawmakers have made it abundantly clear that this overspending-caused situation must not be responded to with tax increases.

The contrast between the parties couldn’t be more clear.  Democrats are the party of big spending, more government, and less freedom for Californians.  Republicans want to empower individuals and family, and think that government should live within its means, including shrinking its expenditures substantially when state revenues decline.

It is now time for Senate President Pro-Tem Don Perata (while Assembly Speaker Karen Bass enables him my not taking the lead) to engage in what would be the normal course of events, if his goal is to actually pass a state budget.  It is time for meetings of Republican and Democrat legislative negotiators to actually occur.  Up to this point, Democrats have been enjoying what I will call "The Big Three" — where they sit down exclusively with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, attempt to negotiate exclusively with him, and then hope that the Governor will be able to "pick and roll" individual Republican legislators into bucking their leaders, and voting for a plan with a huge tax increase on Californians.

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This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.