.
.
.
I was pleased to read over the weekend that Governor Brown, exasperated with the intransigence of Sacramento’s useless Republicans (who have strung him along with faux-negotiations just like Washington GOPers do to Obama) has decided to “take his message on the road” to California voters. Yes, he’ll be crisscrossing the whole state talking to We The People about his budget, tax, and reform plans, and that means he’ll certainly come to the OC, greatest county in the state!
So,bright and early Monday morning, wanting Orange Juice readers to be the first to know, I called his office to find out when he’ll be here, and in what venue. That’s not settled yet, but they have my number and you’ll know as soon as I do.
I also let them know that our bloggers and readers can help shame convince one or more of our local OC Republican “lawmakers” to join him in a debate here, something I know Jerry’s been trying to make happen for months. (As you may recall, the California GOP – painfully aware of the intellectual and rhetorical poverty that characterizes its ranks – offered up Grover Norquist instead; and the Governor, reacting appropriately to the prospect of a DC lobbyist coming to the Golden State to tell us how to live, instead dispatched his dog Sutter to debate Grover. That charming plan, sadly, fizzled.)
I’d really like to see any of our worthy OC Republican legislators – that’s seven Assemblymen and four Senators – explain to Jerry in front of the rest of us why they don’t trust us taxpayers enough to let us decide whether or not we want to extend our current taxes for another five years to avoid cataclysmic cuts to education, public safety, and more.
Maybe Don “Spanky” Wagner (R-Irvine) – I prefer him as he took the lead in the so-called “Taxpayers Caucus” which aims to prevent taxpayers from voting – maybe Spanky can be the one to tell ALL of us why the wasteful, corrupt Redevelopment Agencies are something ALL the Republican politicians (with the noble exception of Chris Norby) are going to the mat for. I know a LOT of Republican voters who’d love to hear a clear explanation of that. Something’s wrong with the old picture of the GOP being the fiscally responsible Party, it seems.
Feisty, mentally limited Diane Harkey (R-Dana Point) is somewhat of a loose cannon, and isn’t afraid to yell out nonsense at the Governor, which I saw her do recently on TV, loudly demanding to know why we couldn’t just have a simple 10% across-the-board cut (not the GOP position.) Jerry patiently, patiently explained to her all the ways that wasn’t possible; what finally convinced her was the image of prisons and law enforcement suffering such big cuts, and drug-addled dark people running rampant across the South County beaches. But now that an official GOP position (or “ransom note”) has been issued – and if she’ll agree to stick to this list of 53 demands – maybe she can explain to Jerry and the audience how items like restoring the $23 million of subsidies to rural state fairs, preserving tax breaks for big agribusiness, and changing the date of the presidential election will help in the goal of balancing our budget.
If Costa Mesa’s golden boy Allan Mansoor is prepped enough (are Sarah Palin’s handlers available?) maybe he can take on the Governor in defense of a few other of the 53 demands: say, gutting environmental laws like the popular AB 32 regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and gutting CEQA (environmental impact studies for new developments.) The first challenge for whoever prepares Allan’s answers would be this: How does any of this relate to the budget at all? They’ll probably settle on: “complying with these regulations is a drain on polluting companies, and freed from those regulations their profits will rise, they will add jobs, state coffers will fill and ponies will fly.” But problem is, we voters didn’t fall for those arguments last November when we soundly rejected Prop 23, and our environmental regulations are very popular. And Jerry is certainly bound to point out that Republicans are trying to sneak in behind the scenes what their corporate backers couldn’t pull off at the ballot box. THWARTING the will of the people! And then Allan should respond… well, he’ll be on his own there. Good luck Allan.
Then there’s poor Jim Silva (R-Huntington Beach) whom I have a soft spot for since he was the only guy with the common sense to oppose the Fairgrounds Sale from the start, but we all know he can’t speak without note cards (unless it’s to the squirrels.) But assuming he’s allowed note cards, and remembering that he is one of the more Labor-friendly Reeps, Jim could be the one to explain to Jerry that his pension reform plan just isn’t harsh enough on California’s teachers, nurses, and other public workers, even though it entails nearly all the ideas Republicans have been crying out for for years. Oh, right, that’s the problem actually. As Gus wrote over at Calitics, “Anger about overly generous public employee pensions is the only single issue where the Republicans’ messaging polls well,” and now Jerry has stolen THEIR ONE ISSUE – Bill Clinton-style! Anyway, seeing as how the Republicans want to be even more draconian to public employees, perhaps the pill will go down easier if delivered by great friend-of-labor Jim Silva. From note cards.
So, your humble OJ editor will let you know as soon as possible when Jerry’s visit will be, and let’s get to work on these Republicans!
I’m ready to rattle some repugs.
Oh I’m sure all of them would like to know why our esteemed Governor believes that the democratic process requires the people to vote on tax increases but not a spending cap, budget cuts, or pension reform. Except that he hasn’t answered that question yet and I don’t expect him to anytime soon since the answer is that he is a hypocrite and that doesn’t go over well with his like-minded constituency.
Okay, they could ask that then. I’m not sure of the answer exactly.
But I tell you what, these modest “tax extensions” on everybody from the rich to the poor are dead now, thanks to the Republicans, and what we’re going to have instead is a LOT of progressive initiatives on the ballot – including raising taxes on the top 1% by 1% – that one is polling up in the high 70’s (even high 60’s among Republican voters) so it is NOT going to lose.
I’m also sure that conservative forces will get the measures onto the ballot that you’re describing, so we’ll see how everything shakes out in the Big Initiative War of Nov. 2011 that happened because certain people in Sac refused to negotiate.
As Gus wrote in that same article – “Come on, even Somali Pirates negotiate!”
Allan Mansoor doesn’t do any better without pre-written note cards than Jim Silva. Either one would be ill-equipped to debate Brown.
I too like Jim Silva a lot better than any of his OC Republican colleagues in the Assembly.
Jim is a fundamentally decent guy, and has frequently demonstrated much more integrity than his peers. As a Supervisor elected right before the county meltdown, he was the only one who refused to dole out county money to pet local projects from district slush funds. Historically, Silva has also been hard-working on real regional problems like flood control, ocean pollution, and regional parks.
I know a tax that I would support (which means that it will never see daylight) and that is: a cent sales tax for every cent of increase in price for gasoline over $4.00 a gallon. That could raise money AND keeep the price of gasoline from going up.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing Jerry debate someone’s paid spokesman.
John Brings up an excellent point. As fuel (and electricity) prices rise, so do the taxes.
To take Matt “JUBAL”Cunninghams point with regard to his customer: California First Five Commission, If you don’t smoke you are not affected. To take that a step further, we SHOULD tax gas an extra cent and then people will drive less, right Matt?
Here’s one: TAX MILK. Since we know in Republican Orange County most milk is bought and sold in illegal alien enclaves like Santa Ana and Anaheim, and most of it is procured trhough WIC, maybe if we taxed it, we could recoup some of that money. Instead of letting Ralphs and Stater Bros. raise the price on the 2nd and 16th.
never has anyone had such a man crush on Cunningham as you do.
Dan C./Bobby,
No crush, disgust. Funny you should mention AGAIN Matt’s sexuality though.
I just think Matt is a disengenious lair. He proclaims to be a “small government Republican” but takes several hundred thousand in fees from Rob Rieners FIRST FIVE, rather hypocrital, right. Not to mention his stance defending John Urell in exchange for his daughter’s) free tuition in RCDOC schools. Whose expense did that come from?
Bobby’s clothes are just fine.
California now has a full time legislature that is highly compensated for their work that consistently abdicates responsibility for law making but “going to the ballot.” This is a gutless act by those seeking to avoid personal responsibility for their own legislation. While he is clearly gutless, Governor Brown is certainly not the only elected in Sacramento trying to avoid being responsible for doing his job.
There are a number of reasons beyond simple abdication of gubenatorial and legislative responsibility that make this tax vote by the people a really bad idea. Everyone has heard the joke that lawmaking is like making sausage and that is a pretty accurate description. It is debate, blending of ideas, nuance, anticipation of potentially unintended consequences and many other factors that produce good laws. Through the ballot process you get none of that. You get a poorly written undebated proposal that is then over simplified during a campaign in which each side takes the impacts of the law to their extremes. There is no negotiation, there is NO nunace.
I agree with pretty much all of that, Geoff, (except for Brown being gutless) but right now the options are very limited. It’s either SOME kind of revenue hike – and this 5-year extension made the most sense – or a $25 billion all-cuts budget that decimates our schools and public safety much more than any of us wants.
And the Governor was elected on a promise of taking any tax hike (or extension) to the people, so he’s just doing what he said he would. Or trying to anyway.
One of Spanky’s office staffers hung up on me when I asked about why he voted to keep RDAs. I checked the number to make sure I didn’t dial John Campbell’s office. At least DeVore would have talked (or droned) you to death.
Could it be that the construction of the Not So Great Park would be affected if RDAs were abolished and “The Don” (Bren, not Trump) most likely reminded Spanky why he’s in Sacto? Not that much has been done to the former MCAS El Toro in recent years . Oh wait, we got a merry go round and an big orange hot air balloon. The latter powered by Boss Agran’s and Spanky’s rhetoric.
My idea of a huge cannabis farm and Native American casino/mega resort hotel/racetrack at the Not So Great Park looks more sane everyday. At least they would have been in operation by now and I wouldn’t have to drive 90 minutes to Pala.
Will someone please explain the “Spanky” reference?
Don Wagner is a strong advocate for corporal punishment at home and in the school.
I asked him at one of the UCI debates if he preferred the hand or the belt treatment when it came to corporal punishment. He got real flustered and called me a degenerate pot head.
Is that what you need Bushala?….. Spenky, Spenky?
2,000 per family is not a modest tax etension .. jb is a puppett for the public employee service unions who run california . he has meetings with all the union hacks and yet its the people who pay these clowns are the ones he should be speaking too . these union people live in a bubble and have no clue what is going on here this state is bk has no money run into the ground by these unions ..cant blame reps they have no power here .
I wish the media would join in on the growing critisim against the GOP legislators, who themselves have taken advantage (and continue to) the states generousity, now want to quash that for others.
The College benefits for ALL of Orange Counties representation is in play, as well as the Tax breaks Harkey and friends got!
It’s no surprise that the OCR won’t investigate this, but a quick review shows incredible hypocrisy among our elected. I guess thats neither relevant or popular, once your in.
I THINK THEY ARE PIGS.