Posted by
The CL Project on Tuesday, June 02, 2009 4:54:52 PM
Let's be honest. California's current budget debacle is obscene. The state is standing at the edge of a $24.3 BILLION budget shortfall and still, Democrat lawmakers attempt to push legislation forward that spends more and more. It is beyond comprehension.
For the 2004-05 budget year, state spending was at $79.8 billion. A mere two years later, spending had jumped to more than $101.4 billion. That is a 21 percent increase. In two years.
State Lawmakers spend happy attitude is one of the primary reasons California ranks 47th in the State Freedom Rankings. It is also the reason that Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed draconian cuts in an attempt to dial back California's spending to levels not seen since 1999.
I often hear those on the left criticize the economic policies of Reagan as "voodoo economics" and a failure. Never mind that this ill-informed declaration ignores the fact that America's net worth climbed in real terms from $25 TRILLION in 1980 to $57 TRILLION in 2007. Never mind the fact that it was the "failures" of trickle down economics that created more wealth in the last 25 years (at every income level) than in the last 200 years combined. Yet those same individuals have put into power the very party that has spent the past two decades bankrupting the Golden State.
The reality is this...
Years of a liberal California legislature pursuing a version of liberal utopia have failed.
The “model” of an ever growing government with a thirst for taxpayer dollars has failed. Spending more than the state brings in on an annual basis has failed.
The continual tax and fee hikes of years gone by, have failed.
Californians have been told that the State can only survive by adding more government tentacles and do-gooders and regulations and programs that help save people and businesses from their own bad decisions. Now the voters of California have spoken. And as the American Thinker noted, they have rejected the May 19th ballot propositions because they saw them for what they were - a band aid to cover the twin cancers of structural tax deficiencies and partisan politics masquerading as thoughtful dialog.
Now is the time for reform - true reform.
Before we leave our children with the financial burden of our failures. Before we force California off of that cliff. Throughout this week we will post several common-sense reforms that should be adopted to address the state's budget problem. These reforms will not rely on tax hikes, nor severe budgetary cuts - simply a common sense approach to budgeting and living within our means.
We need to start the conversation because apparently the Legislature is not.
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HERE as we begin the discussion of true budgetary reform in Sacramento.