He’s lost it. Amazing how quickly elected officials lose sight of their original focus once elected. Be it members of any local city council, the State House or the White House. Case in point. We have all read that the LAO has just released a report indicating that our red ink for next year is projected to be between $10 billion to $14 billion. Not exactly chump change. Yet immediately after getting this news our governor has teamed up with liberal Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez to promote a health care plan that is projected to cost $14.4 billion. (AB-1X) Quoting from the Sacramento Bee: Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, and the governor – who negotiated the plan – contend it will pay for pay for itself through proposed fees and taxes on employers, workers, the tobacco industry as well as more federal funds.”
Update from Sac Bee: Here’s Perata’s statement in full:
“I am encouraged by the progress the Governor, the Assembly Speaker and I have made this year developing a plan for extending health care insurance to the many Californians who do not have it.”
“While I still strongly favor the concept, I have been shocked by the recent revelation that next year’s budget is facing a $14 billion deficit and what that could mean.”
“It would be imprudent and impolitic to support an expansion of health care coverage without knowing how we’re going to pay for vital health programs the state now provides for poor children, their families and the aged, blind and disabled.”
“The real issue now is the deficit and how this squares with everything else that we are going to do.”
Gilbert comment. Unlike Arnold Dem. Senator Perata knows when to apply the brakes.
The benefit of the free access Cutting Edge-atalk show is that all of our one-on-one interviews and political event coverage can be found in the archives of our web site. It’s a gold mine of historic data. On July 26, 2006, less than one and a half years ago, we covered the governor when he appeared at Tri City Park in Placentia prior to his reelection. He had just left a board meeting at the OC Register and addressed a crowd of around 200 faithful Republicans. You can watch and listen to that event by going to: www.cuttingedge-atalkshow.com
In introducing the governor Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle made the following remarks:
“It is tough when you have a Democratic control of both house of the legislature. As a fiscal conservative it is so right to have this governor overseeing the fiscal policy of this state. A governor that found a $16 billion dollar hole in our structural budget and said this is where we are and figured it out. He’s made a commitment than and made a commitment now of no increase in taxes. A fiscal conservative that holds the line in Sacramento he will govern without an increase in taxes. This state is doing well because of its’ fiscal policy.”
After that intro the governor stated that “we brought down the debt from $16.5 billion to $3.5 billion.” Hmm. What’s the new deficit number less than 17 months later??
Arnold also responded to a question about heath care stating “I don’t believe in universal health care where the government is involved.”
So here we are. Let’s raise tax on a pack of butts by $2.00. Watch and see how many smokers will drive over the border to Nevada or Oregon to pick up a case of cigarettes to avoid the tax increase. And that is only part one of the proposed funding mechanism for this socialized health care proposal. Other funds will come from taxes and fees. Did I read that correctly? The same Arnold Schwarzenegger who Curt Pringle stated was a fiscal conservative?
I have to wonder how Mayor Pringle feels today after the kind words he expressed in Placentia about our state’s “conservative” leader.
Call the coroner instead, it sounds DOA to me. I don’t doubt they did it, but….. Is it too late to sign a state DNRO? We could start again clean.
How long can the party in control of the magic 41 votes, in the surreal world under the dome, be in such de-Nile of what they are doing. They will kill this state. Businesses are running from CA everyday this will just add to the desire for both companies and their employees to leave the state.
I guess I learn to roll my own again. I did it when I was young and too broke, or backpacking, so it goes…
Arnold has gone the way of most electeds – from talking tough during the campaign to finding out that passing on cuts to constituent groups is really tough, it’s easier to pass out candy in the form of political appointments and government services. With regard to this health insurance plan, it is plain and simple a tax increase – and the fact that if government is going to do something it costs more money should not be a surprise to anyone. The question remains in this case – why is government getting ever deeper into the provision of health insurance? I think I know – the Doc’s, hospitals and insurance companies are the advocates for this – show me the money! And, can anyone prove that giving people health insurance produces better health? We know it produces more revenue to the insurance companies, doc’s and hospitals, but what is the health outcome, if any? Also wonder how many businesses will move out of state because of this new payroll mandate(tax).
Email response from Art Olivier, former 2006 Libertarian candidate for governor.
Hate to tell him “I told you so!”
Timing is everything. I notice an Orange Grove in today’s OC Register by Chuck DeVore dealing with the same issues.
In reading the Sac Bee the legislature must present this to the public in the form of a Ballot measure next November where they will need a 2/3rds majority vote for passage.
Hopefully the taxpayers are more fiscally responsible than the governor on this socialized health care plan.
It will never pass muster at the polls! Everyone I have talked with shakes their heads and thinks it bad.
Of course I once said, a grinning peanut farmer wouldn’t, couldn’t become president, people weren’t that dumb, too.
note to self: never underestimate the stupidity of voters!