Commentary
Wednesday, January 12, 2011.
“Brown’s plan-- pain everywhere”, by Tim Rutten
This is a well written, savvy explanation of Governor Brown’s plan for the new budget cycle. Even a financial neophyte like myself can get a grip on the Governor’s thinking. Continuing the twelve billion dollar tax increase corrupted out of the Schwarzenegger administration must be passed by the voters for the plan to work. The other half of the plan is to cut state services and salaries to the tune of twelve billion. Both of these extraordinarily difficult budgetary moves may stumble over their politics.
Does the governor have the political capital to pull off this miracle in Sacramento? The odds on his success will be very, very long. What are we to do if the voters turn down the taxes and we are already into the budget year, more craziness out of Sacramento? A more informed voice needs to speak to that potential situation but the plan has another significant flaw.
The plan is not fair. Newspaper editors like to use a piece title to please their primary constituency but the piece does not say what the title says. There is a disconnect. One would suppose that the editors assume that their readers are not reading, interesting. I am making this observation on my own and have no personal knowledge of nor contact with Mr. Rutten. In addition this criticism applies to our local paper. Integrity would seem to be the issue.
In this case the title, “Brown’s plan- pain everywhere”, is not supported by the text. The pain is not everywhere. Please let me quote Mr. Rutten, "Two categories of spending , however, are striking for their exemption from pain: kindergarten through 12th grade education and the state’s prison system. The prison guards , in fact, got one of the budgets only increases--from $8.9 billion to $9.1 billion…..".
This reader is a cynic about our politics. The unfairness of this preferential budget is a payoff to the unions who helped get Governor Moonbeam elected. Politics has not changed in 40 years but California sure has reaped it’s downside.
The simple assessment is that the plan is too short and too late and too unfair.
G.Goslaw
Victorville, Ca
