Commentary by James L. Lambert

As a native Californian, I am deeply disappointed that California Democratic legislators have yet to learn from the mistakes made by our last Governor, Gray Davis, not too long ago. You may remember. Back then, California, had another budget deficit ($10 billion dollars) and Davis was ‘fired’ by the people (in a recall initiative) for his ineptitude.

Now the state has a $42 billion dollar deficit (through 2010). On Thursday, it was closed by a brokered deal orchestrated by Assembly & state Senate Democrats and the Governor by putting together only $15 billion in cuts, $11.4 billion in new borrowings and close to $13 billion in new state taxes. For taxpayers in one of the heaviest taxed state in the nation, it will be very hard tolerating these new levies.

For many years, California has been controlled politically by Democrats. Democrats control the heavily populated cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco.  Nothing can get done in state government without the consent of influential power brokers (i.e. government-worker labor unions, a variety of influential lobby groups), and Democrat legislative members in Sacramento. As demonstrated in the recent legislative vote (in both the Assembly and state Senate, the vast majority of Republicans supported a ‘conservative approach’ to the state budget. When Republicans stray from this message is when they make trouble for themselves. A prime example of this is when Republican  leaders strayed from fiscal conservatism when they controlled Congress (2001-2006).

Today the state is witnessing the result of too much government largess. California’s  state budget is still a mess. The size of government here continues to grow in the state, despite the recession. Philosophically California Democrats do no understand the importance of government being able to live within it’s means. Yet, Democrat leaders continue to support efforts to:

·         pay for the community college education of illegal aliens

·         pay for the (so-called emergency) health benefits of illegal aliens

·         not verify citizen status of public school attendees - giving free education to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens around our state (costing close to $10,000 per year per student).

·         sponsor assistance programs for the indigent poor (that we cannot afford)

·         pay for school lunch programs (that we cannot afford)

·         continue to pay retired state employees huge pensions (upward to 70% +) of annual income of many long term state retired each year (years into their retirement)!

·         pay for road improvement programs out of the general fund (instead of funds from the ‘gas tax’ where these funds are suppose to be derived).

·         continue to reward ineptitude of the public school system instead of making these educators accountable for poor results in their school districts … 

·         being lax on certain types of criminal behavior in schools (i.e. marijuana on campus)

·         support efforts to NOT allow off-shore drilling despite the fact that there are HUGE oil reserves off California shores. (Oil revenue will bring in good, high paying jobs and bring in much needed state revenue to our coffers.)

Continued efforts by the Democrat majority in California to force new and higher taxes on it’s citizens is wrong and immoral. Our state government MUST learn to live within it’s means. I know during this recession, I am making every effort to cut back on my overhead. So must government, at all levels.

Yet, these same state Democrat leaders who have moved up to positions of leadership in the federal government will now reward states (like California) for their mismanagement. Just days ago, Senator Barbara Boxer (D - CA) said in a press release that there would be over $30+ billion dollars available to state of California from the federal government’s most recent  “stimulus package”.

It’s a shame that the states that have carefully budgeted and lived within their means (like North Dakota) are now paying for the largess and wastefulness of states like California. Will we ever learn?