Politics is sometimes defined as the "art of the possible." In that light, the current state budget that was passed by the California Leglistature today is the best one was that was possible.
Sadly, there was nothing artful about this budget. It has tax increases, spending cuts and more borrowing to paper over the state's fiscal deficit. And for all that hard work, my guess is we will have to start the process all over again in the summer. It seems hard to believe that 11-months ago, March of 2008, I was in Sacramento lobbying the state legislature to pass a state budget without cutting the budget of the California State University. I was there as a part the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU), delegation for Lobby Day. Lobby day is work for its participants, but also great fun. My fellow union members know how to have a good time. It gives one a insight on how state government functions or not function as the case may be.
In this case state government has functioned badly. If you had told me then that it I would take the legislature 11 months to pass a budget, I would not have believed you. In March, the numbers were grim, the budget deficit was $17 billion and would require both taxes and spending cuts to achieve balance. But as leglislator bickered and delayed the deficit grew as the states economy plunged deeper into recession. Spring had gone, summer was nearly over and still the legislators refused to compromise and refused to do their duty. We recommenced our lobbying efforts. On Aug. 20, 2008, the executive committee of Chapter 310 of CSUEU visited the offices of Nicole Parra, Roy Ashburn, and Jean Fuller to encourage them to not cut the CSU when finalizing the state budget.
By that time, I was beginning to urge my colleagues to emphasize that a budget needed to be passed. In my opinion, the state needed to get sometime of budget agreement signed. Eventually they signed some sort of budget, but in the excitment of the election and the alarm over the collapse of the nation's financial system, the budget agreement was doomed to very short life.
We had to wait until today to get an agreement signed. Republican intransigence regarding tax increases nearly cost the taxpayers of the state $400 million. The Republican senators who opposed tax increases held the state for ransom and nearly destroyed what was left of its financial reputation and its financial credit.
It is obvious the state needs to reform the way it creates its budget. The 2/3 majority needs to be repealed. We can no longer afford to allow state government to be held hostage by a handful of legislators, who put their personal political interests above the interests of all the citizens of the state. We need to reform the way propositions are brought to the ballot. The system is too easily abused and it has ceased to be effective. And budget-related proposition like Proposition 13 and Prop. 98, have only exacerbated the state's financial problems.
I was having bagels and coffee this morning. Outside of Bagels and Blenderz, a black woman was standing with several clipboards. The clipboards were petitions for ballot initiatives, and the woman gathering the signatures was being paid to make sure the petitions were signed. I wanted to be angry with this woman, blame her for some of the politcial woes of this state, but she was not the problem. It was the people who paid her to collect signatures were the problem. Unless we can decrease the influence of the special interests who pervert democracy for personal gain, state government will continue to become less and less efficient.
It will take a long time and require a lot of hard work, but I hope to some day help that woman find a better job than just gathering signatures.
Capitano Tedeschi
30
By that time, I was beginning to urge my colleagues to emphasize that a budget needed to be passed. In my opinion, the state needed to get sometime of budget agreement signed. Eventually they signed some sort of budget, but in the excitment of the election and the alarm over the collapse of the nation's financial system, the budget agreement was doomed to very short life.
We had to wait until today to get an agreement signed. Republican intransigence regarding tax increases nearly cost the taxpayers of the state $400 million. The Republican senators who opposed tax increases held the state for ransom and nearly destroyed what was left of its financial reputation and its financial credit.
It is obvious the state needs to reform the way it creates its budget. The 2/3 majority needs to be repealed. We can no longer afford to allow state government to be held hostage by a handful of legislators, who put their personal political interests above the interests of all the citizens of the state. We need to reform the way propositions are brought to the ballot. The system is too easily abused and it has ceased to be effective. And budget-related proposition like Proposition 13 and Prop. 98, have only exacerbated the state's financial problems.
I was having bagels and coffee this morning. Outside of Bagels and Blenderz, a black woman was standing with several clipboards. The clipboards were petitions for ballot initiatives, and the woman gathering the signatures was being paid to make sure the petitions were signed. I wanted to be angry with this woman, blame her for some of the politcial woes of this state, but she was not the problem. It was the people who paid her to collect signatures were the problem. Unless we can decrease the influence of the special interests who pervert democracy for personal gain, state government will continue to become less and less efficient.
It will take a long time and require a lot of hard work, but I hope to some day help that woman find a better job than just gathering signatures.
Capitano Tedeschi
30
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