The California Senate Republicans finally dumped their leader, Dave Cogdill, who wanted to raise our taxes. Their new leader, Dennis Hollingsworth, is no slouch. I expect him to go toe to toe with the Democrats and to hold firm against the proposed budget.
The latest proposal from the Republicans is to pass a six month budget then get to work on next year’s budget.
What they need to do now is take their message to the people. I would suggest the use of radio spots and a Youtube commercial. The Orange County Employees Association used the latter this week and their spot ended up on all the local blogs. In fact, Hollingsworth has a video on his website, but I could not find it on Youtube and thus could not present it here.
What a powerful message the GOP would send by reminding the voters that the Legislators drive new cars for FREE at public expense – but the Democrats want to double our car license fees and raise our gas taxes.
Now is the time also for the Republicans to let us know what they plan to do to resolve this crisis. What do they plan to cut? Can we take this opportunity to redesign our state government and cut the crap?
Let’s see if Hollingsworth can deliver.
UPDATE:
Here is what the Sacramento Bee is reporting about the budget and Hollingsworth’s plans:
Asked by a reporter if he would be “willing to budge at all” on the tax issue, Hollingsworth replied, “I just don’t think it’s necessary…why is it that everybody else has to tighten their belt and state government is able to go back and, in effect, take money out of people’s pockets in order to try to fix that problem.”
“We think that, yeah, there ought to be a balanced solution, but one of the things that ought to be off the table is those tax increases,” he added, though it’s unclear what kind of balanced solution would not increase tax hikes.
And since when have Libertarians ever stood up and tried to offer a solution? Once again, the do-nothing, know-nothings think they can sit back and judge when other people take action. Got a good seat in the bleachers with the rest of the Libertarians, eh?
The only way to get the public employee contracts reopened and renegotiate unsustainable retirement benefits and pay raises is to force the state to a grinding halt, which is what is happening now. Faced with the prospect of layoffs in school districts and public safety depts., union leaders just may come to their senses. No one in the private sector has the benefits enjoyed by many categories of govt. employees.
Isn’t Dennis…Kathleen’s husband?
Art I salute you for this post!. Reader #1 is weird by saying “when libertarians ever stood up and tried to offer a solution”. Sir you do not need to have political afilation and feel repugnancy against what the “pigs in sacramento” want to do to ordinary and working people of California in order to please their wrongdoing with the State’s budget.
Good for you Art!.
I must be getting sick, I find myself in agreement with Art again!
Terry, you miss the point about Libertarians…the answer to your questin is NEVER, and they want it that way!Libertarians, don’t think they can raise your kids better than you do, they don’t want to tell you how to live, they don’t want to SOLVE ANYTHING, they want to stay out of your way, so YOU CAN SOLVE YOUR OWN PROBLEMS!
Bigmarkod,
Don’t worry – we are bound to disagree on something soon enough! LOL!