Tone Deaf Governor
Arnold says the people spoke at the polls. They did, but he wasn't listening. Of course, English isn't his first language; celebrity is.
We didn't say our rich, healthy, girly-man dissing, celebrity governor should terminate welfare. Unlike some, we don't hate the poor.
We didn't say turn California into Mississippi.
We didn't say throw the poor under the bus and dump their kids on the street.
We said go back to Sacramento and do your damned job!
We said go to the legislature and create a budget; don't hand the problem to us.
We said we want our elected leaders to lead. Leading means having the guts to deal with the tough problems. Ignore your handlers for a minute and do something for the people.
You want to cut costs? Cut the $135,000,000.00 you waste every year on a death penalty Chief Justice George says is "dysfunctional." You haven't been able to kill anyone for three years because a federal judge said your killing system is unconstitutional. So stop it.
You want to cut costs? Cut the $400,000,000.00 you plan to spend on a new death row.
You want to cut costs? Grant parole to the guys locked up in Tracy, California, stuck away with indeterminate sentences because no politician has the guts to notice that their records are clean and they deserve a life.
How about releasing the thousands locked up in your bulging prisons for non-violent drug crimes instead of stripping away their future,
Leadership, Governor, means doing the right thing: serving people, not victimizing them.
It means raising taxes on those with plenty, not taking food out of poor kid's mouths.
It means fixing the system so a simple majority can pass a budget rather than letting an anti-tax minority strangle the process.
Those who can will pay the taxes; we don't mind. What we mind is those who crave the title but won't do the job.
Mike Farrell, president of Death Penalty Focus, is the author of "Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist," and "Of Mule and Man."
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Well said, Mr. Farrell. Let's make sure Arnold gets the message, maybe each of us should send him a copy of this post.
Amen, Mr. Farrell! It's great to see people like you coming out into the public to fight for what's right, and to call out these crooked, clueless politicians.
WE HAVE TO STOP ALL THE PROPS THEY ARE EATING UP OUR BUDGET!!!!!
Well the special elections since the governator was elected haven't been cheap, but citizen propositions are not the actual problem they would have waited for the regular election cycle.. Spending more than you receive is and that's what this governor has allowed to happen.
On behalf of those who have, like me, lost a loved one to horrific murders and who are supporters of California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death Penalty I'd like to ask Mike Farrell if he would mind if we althogether hummed a few bars to his "Tone Deaf Governor" commentary?
There is simply nothing more obvious than the waste that we, through habit, call justice in the use of the death penalty in California. California will save $5 billion in a few short years by converting existing death sentences to permanent imprisonment.
We can do this on behalf of the murder victim family members who are united in their opposition to the death penalty. We can do this on behalf of the thousands of Correctional Peace Officers who jobs will be cut without reform. We can do this on behalf of the families of the over 25,000 unsolved murders across the state. We can do this in the name of simple justice and morality.
We can do this anytime but in honor of my brother who was murdered in 2003 and whose killer has yet to be apprehended, let's do this now.
I find it ironic that rich people have the lowest tax base, in the single digits; yet, they complain the most about paying taxes. The average person who is not rich does not mind paying taxes, even if they are raised, IF the taxes paid actually go toward tangible improvements for the public at large, i.e., public schools, roads, etc. It seems that corporations and wealthy individuals are never made to sacrifice anything. They more they have the more they want. I suppose that greed cannot be satiated.
We pay several tens of thousands of dollars in tuition to private schools, so that our school aged children are not victims of the horrible public schools in our area. Fortunately, we are able to do this for our children. While I don't like paying high taxes, I am willing to pay more for the benefit of society at large, except that every time Californians vote for bond measures to improve the schools, either the money is wasted by the politicians giving overbloated contracts to their political cronies or the funds are diverted to another line item in the budget. The kids, poor and helpless ALWAYS get the short end of the stick. This has to stop.
Our country was founded on the principles of liberty. There was no provision to vote by simple majority to transfer wealth from those who eraned it to those who did not.
I hope this CA fiasco starts to bring us back this ideal. If you are willing to give more to society at large then you are free to do as you please....but you do not have the right to decide where the money I earned goes. To have that power is immoral and detrimental to the survival of our society. It creates dependency and dispair.
Define "earn."
And there's certainly no provision to transfer wealth upward!
Or tell two adults who they can or can't marry. Which is an even more personal privelege and right. That creates bigotry and discrimination.
As far as I know all the stop gap measures in California put more of a burden on the poor rather than the wealthy. I haven't seen any that require the wealthy to pay their fair share. So I am not sure what you are ranting about.
First, you seem to be misunderstanding "earn". It's not when a person is born into great wealth!
Second, there IS a history of Americans getting together and making things better together, even though you choose to ignore those chapters!
Third, look at when our country did the best, you will find it's at the times when the corporations and the rich paid the highest taxes!!
"....but you do not have the right to decide where the money I earned goes."In aggregate, the people that we elect to state representational bodies have exactly that right.
You, sir, are an idiot. If you want to stop travelling on the roads, stop having city water, or a fire department, or ambulance ,or hospital service, make everything that you need, and use, and stay on your own property perpetually, you may have a point. If not, some level of taxation is what you OWE.
Now, if you want to debate what LEVEL that would be, you might not be such an idiot. But the problem with current "teabag" conservatives is that any level appears to be too high. They always want less, even if they are the most able to pay, which bankrupts their argument, doesn't it?
We can't have roads, police, prisons, hospital services, ambulance, fire services, a standing military, or building code inspections or sewage services without SOME money. SO, keep trying to find someone who won't think it through, who will buy your nonsense. I'm sure there's someobody, somewhere, that stupid.
Unfortunately, Arnold's base is very much like that of the GOP, poor, uneducated people who believe the "hype" and are uninformed to such an extent that they vote against their own interests.
Arnold is so low that the didn't even hesitate 24 hours after the recent special election to start talking about throwing the helpless under the bus. We need to raise taxes in CA on the rich, like it or not. The republican mantra of low/no taxes has run our state and country into hell.
The anti tax, anti government folks are the same ones who reap the greatest benefits from the corporate welfare, tax loopholes and other services that govt. provides which enables them to increase their riches.
Arnold was horrible as an actor and is shameful as a governor.
I am with you Victoria. They've raised everything the working person has to pay either daily, weekly, monthly or annually. Like car registration, cigarette taxes, sales taxes, local fees on things like building permits.. They are talking about making me smog my car every year instead of every other year because its over 14 years old.. Rich folks who can afford new cars don't even have to smog their vehicles for the first five years. When do they have to belly up to bar. And with gasoline now nearing 3.00 a gallon how much can the working man be bled?
Arnold and the legislature do not have a sustainable plan. Cutting expenses is relatively easy versus creating an environment that encourages business opportunity. Penalizing the helpless, facilitating clueless behavior and protecting the extremely rich is irresponsible, unethical and immoral. But the masses panicked and recalled Gray Davis. Selfishly, we did not want to incur a modest increase to car registration fees. $3 billion was lost for seven years. Almost the amount that is now needed. California is like GM. Out of touch. Cut spending on needless activities, stop hiring needless govt employees, and put an incremental tax on gas, cigs and alcohol.
I don't know where you live but they have increased our vehicle registration fees. They've already done the incremental taxes but it hasn't been enough. I'd like to know exactly where all the money is being spent. I don't see it being spent on my local schools, police or fire departments. . What next water...toilet paper, how about the air we breathe?
No they have NOT increased vehicle license fees. When Davis was gove and we had a surplus, legislators passed a rebate of vehile license fees. They've now reverted to what they would have been, now that we have a deficit.
My 2008 vehicle was 239 dollars. 4 years ago my 2004 car was 224 dollars after a 35 dollar rebate. Some increase.
Get your facts right.
Exactly correct Mike. When he said he heard the people speak and then cut the funds for the neediest among us I wondered which people he was listening to. Then I remembered the luxury yacht tax and his party with the wealthy (like he is) and then I knew. He was listening to his rethuglican cronies.
He has come to California and continued the ruination of our state that Ronald Reagan began.
When they're closing the national parks and cutting subsistance wages that will no doubt push more people onto the streets, it seems like a no-brainer to raise taxes on the super-duper-wealthy.
What is wrong with these people?
Thank you Mr. Farrell. I agree. Punishing the poor for being poor is not an acceptable solution. Even when you're miffed that you didn't get your way.
Mike
You really aren't proposing any kind of solution to the budget crisis. Your points would be much better made outside of that context.
You directly propose cuts of a little over half a billion. The budget deficit is almost 50x that number. No matter the merits of ending the death penalty and the war on drugs...those actions do next to nothing to solving this crisis.
If what I know of the California budget is true, entitlements is the only part big enough that cuts would matter.
There are many other things available for the governor to cut in spending, while increasing his revenue stream by actually TAXING THE RICH!!!
Taxing the rich isn't as good an idea as you may think.
California has consistently led the nation in millionaire flight. The already high taxes has driven them from your state. They just aren't there to tax.
If you raise taxes, it will only lead to greater wealth flight.
I guess you could build a wall to keep them in.
California has not been able to make the hard decisions and they are now paying the price for it. I'm in Michigan and our government is a bit disfuncional also but they have been able to make the hard decisions and have cut spending and raised taxes. Californians are just as guilty as the government because of the unfunded mandates that are forced by the proposition process. Spending has skyrocketed in the past decade and no one wants to pay for it or cut programs. It's time to face your problems and get them under control.
The majority in California has voted to fund the services in the state budget. We who can pay taxes have voted to pay taxes.
What we have here in California are a minority of Republican party operatives, that act as a kind of fifth column for the national party. These heartless lying frauds have been sabotaging our state's budgets and our political process for years.
No new taxes they cry as they eliminate vehicle fees. Then they take food out of poor childrens mouths and eliminate their healthcare and education.
It is kind of stupid that they have most of the National Guard in the Middle East. They are going to need them here for the rioting.
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