Last November, Californians did not elect Republican Meg "Money Bags" Whitman to be their governor. We elected a Democratic governor and Democratic majorities in the State Assembly and the Senate. Yet five members of the Republican minority once again are in the driver's seat and they're determined to run the state right over the cliff. They've even hired Schwarzenegger's old budget director, Michael Genest, as a "consultant" while they block any attempt to address California's fiscal crisis and -- Wisconsin GOP-style -- they're even preventing Californians from voting on the matter.
The Republican minority, calling themselves the "GOP 5," are marching in lockstep with Wisconsin's governor Scott Walker: They're anti-democratic, authoritarian, and immature. They seem to relish imposing on the majority of Californians whatever their corporate paymasters want. They don't "negotiate," they behave like children. They demand everything and concede nothing. They use extortion, obstruction, and threats of tearing apart the social fabric in order to attain their maximum goals. They say they'll acquiesce in allowing the Plebeians to vote on measures to shore up the state's fiscal crisis (even after Governor Jerry Brown and the Democrats already put forth $12.5 billion in budget cuts), but only after they lay waste to any state government agency, program, or institution that does not expressly serve the interests of corporations (many of them out of state).
It all has a very 19th Century ring to it.
The press coverage of California's budget battle has been abysmal. The news media insist on facilitating the Republican narrative about what's going on in Sacramento without ever challenging it or even bothering to explain it.
There is a simple question that is lost inside the dominant (Republican-friendly) narrative:
Why is it legitimate for a minority of legislators to hold the state budget hostage while it attempts to extort its maximum long-term political goals from the majority?
The simple answer to that question is that it is not legitimate.
Now for the hypothetical question as it applies to California:
What if things were reversed and the state had a Republican governor and Republican majorities in the Assembly and Senate and a minority of legislators calling themselves the "Democrat 5" were holding the budget hostage while demanding increases in spending on schools, state parks, and better pensions for public employees?
What would be the narrative then?
No wonder the Republicans always over-reach. The game is rigged in their direction (even in California -- a state that didn't give George W. Bush one electoral vote).
The "GOP 5's" demands, as they currently stand, (and have frozen California in a state of fiscal distress) are nothing short of radical changes in state pension plans (which are the product of collective bargaining) and the gutting of business and environmental regulations that don't serve corporations, which have nothing to do whatsoever with next year's state budget or trying to get California out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
The Five GOP Patriarchs (they're all white and male of course), won't even allow Californians to vote on a measure extending the emergency taxes that were already passed. It is on the same level of the authoritarian tactics of Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Republicans, but it's happening in California, a state far more crucial to any national economic recovery.
California's fiscal crisis, like that of all the other state governments, is a product of the Great Wall Street Toxic Waste Dump of 2008. After Wall Street's recklessness set off the financial hydrogen bomb, home values plummeted, life savings and retirements were erased, and jobs vanished, California's revenues drop by about $20 billion a year because lower valued homes shrink property taxes and unemployed people cannot pay income taxes. The state has been in a Groundhog Day of Reckoning ever since. Yet, as in Wisconsin, we're told that the crisis is somehow teachers and nurses and social workers and other public employees' fault.
Wiping out large swathes of the middle class, deflating the value of working people's homes, shredding their retirement plans, and extorting trillions in bailouts and loan guarantees from taxpayers wasn't enough. Now the captains of finance, along with their GOP servants, want to kill off the public sector so they can feast on the corpse.
Follow Joseph A. Palermo on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JPalermo
Again? This has been happening for decades now.
Throw the Bums Out.
They are: Tom Berryhill of Modesto, Sam Blakslee of San Luis Obispo, Anthony Cannella of Ceres, Bill Emmerson of Hemet, and Tom Harman of Huntington Beach.
So how do we get rid of these @$$hats?
Can we go around them? If not, can we just recall them?
You know, you can recall more than a governor. And I'm tired of the Party of NO obstructing everything that doesn't serve their corporate puppetmasters. If they aren't serving the public, then they shouldn't be public servants.
Sometimes the Demos stand in the way....Wisconsin.
I think it is politics. Maybe Jerry can figure out a way to get a vote on his taxes like Scott figured out a way to get his union bill through.
Of course there's no way to make this delusional set of directives into actual law so the teachers get a pay cut, class sizes increase, and taxes can't be raised.
We're screwed.
A twofer! Since they want to destroy public schools too. The easiest way is to choke off funding.
He claims that 5 republicans are blocking every attempt to address California's fiscal crisis, which is completely false. At least a few of the 5 have agreed to go along if substantial changes are made.
He accuses them of being puppets to "corporate paymasters" even though at least 3 of them are from rural areas where few corporations have any influence.
His title is misleading..."California: Where Elections Don't Matter." ...but they do.
The FACTS are that Californians voted for no tax increases without approval of a 2/3 majority in the State Legislature. This IS what Californians voted for. If Brown's budget had no tax increases their would be nothing for the GOP 5 to block. As it is, these tax increases are actually tax extensions which means that Brown could impose his special election for tax extensions without cooperation from the GOP 5 - so why doesn't he?
Personally, I'm proud of the GOP 5 for standing up against increased taxes, and for cutting exorbitant state pension plans and excessive business and environmental regulations that have chased businesses out of California for over 20 years. Rather than harming the middle class, they are actually helping us.
2.) Polls have consistently shown the people of California WANT this put on the ballot for them to decide. The GOP's consistent refusal to consider the issue runs squarely counter to the will of the people. They've shown they are more interested in kowtowing to Grover Norquist than they are in serving the people of California and letting democracy happen.
3.) The GOP 5 have tried to use the budget issue to gut highly popular environmental regulations which would do very little for the fiscal condition of California.
- I acknowledged that above...so why doesn't Brown simply extend the previous tax increase since he doesn't need any GOP votes to do it?
"The GOP's consistent refusal to consider the issue runs squarely counter to the will of the people."
- It may run counter to the will of the people of the state, but not counter to the will of the people in their home districts.
- just because they don't agree with the plan of their democrat cohorts doesn't mean they're blocking EVERY attempt to address California's fiscal crisis.
And that's only for the GOP 5. The rest of the party has dug in their heels and refused to negotiate AT ALL.
I'm personally going to enjoy watching the GOP get their just desserts in 2012 out here in the Golden State. If you thought 2010 was bad for them just wait for 2012 if they block putting the tax issue on the ballot.
- What do demographics have to do with it?
I'll add I'll bet they're all 10 percenters too.
What would be the narrative then?"
- sounds very similar to Wisconsin.
The reason they can get things done even in minority is because they organize and work together. (Funny, because they are against anything else "organized"). The blessing and curse among democrats is they value all walks of life and opinions, every need or want must be at least heard if not able to be met. Fair representation for all means not a lot of uniform votes. This causes many losses where there could have been victories.
The GoP5 btw, sounds like an emo-"rock" band. Just saying.
On a side note.. The Governator couldn't even run a restaurant without it failing.. he was trusted to run the state? Lolz.
Humorous commentary aside.. unless the democrats can unify, they will be defeated. They just have to make sure they unify on what is right and just, and moral ground can still be held.
The republicans are the 51% of people who actually pay income taxes and have finally become pissed off enough to end the draconian spending of the nitwits.
If you are lazy or stupid, you will vote in Democrats because the only thing Democrats value is a free ride on the backs of tax payers.
I believe that many of the extremists, especially those of the tea party, have many immoral beliefs on how the country should be run. The rights of women take a back seat. Corporations should hold more power than a citizen. Seems backwards to me.
I do agree that the average Democrat does want to pay less taxes, but so does the average republican. The average person without money wants to pay little or no taxes and ride off the ones who have lots of money. The average corporation wants to pay no taxes and ride on the backs of the workers.
BTW as far as income tax.. have they finally made that tax LEGAL yet? I'm fairly certain it never actually was...
The Tea Party, enabled by the Koch brothers and their ilk -- fanatics who want to destroy government, and with it democracy, in favor of corporate rule -- will put us through hell until Americans finally understand that they are under attack. This is not just politics. It is a war on everyone who isn't wealthy.
Wisconsin residents have gotten the point and do not intend to become serfs. Republicans will be recalled.
Wisconsin residents support their governor and can finally balance the budget, get rid of Unions and hire teachers who do a good job. Democrats ran away to another state when they actually had a job to do, as do most Democrats. they run away from their responsibilities or don't have any at all.
Why is it you believe California has a revenue problem and not a spending problem?
Part of the revenue problem came in when Arnie decided to slash the vehicle registration fee by 2/3, decreasing revenues but making up the shortfall to local governments from the state budget.
The biggest difficulty in resolving budget issues does come from the 2/3 requirement on budget issues and the absolute refusal on the right to ever even think about increasing revenue.
100% disagree about that
California spending:
2003 - $99 billion
2007 - $146 billion
In 4 years, look what the state did . . . they were living high on the hog thinking the upswing would last forever.
California's fiscal crisis is an example of another state that has a massive spending problem.
1990-91 51.4
1991-92 55.7
1992-93 57.0
1993-94 52.1
1994-95 57.5
1995-96 56.8
1996-97 61.5
1997-98 67.2
1998-99 71.9
1999-00 81.3
2000-01 99.4
2001-02 103.3
2002-03 98.9
2003-04 98.9
2004-05 105.3
2005-06 117.3
2006-07 131.4
2007-08 146..5
Now tell me they have a revenue problem vs a spending problem.