Apr 08 2009
New ads in the budget debate are released
Yesterday marked the first time that you could hear the ads for the May 19th special election.
The Governor’s coalition behind the propositions released a few ads, and the California Teacher’s Association released two ads. The tag lines of all the ads is that passing the ballot measures will bring “stability and sanity” to California’s budget process.
There is no dispute that reform is needed in California’s budget process. The continuing decline of revenues and increased expenditures leads to a state that is billions in debt. However, it is ironic that the ads claim to bring stability and sanity when, currently, we are at least $8 billion more in the red. We have at least $8 billion more of solutions that need to be found.
The Governor’s coalition ads focus on 1A-1F, claiming that all of them are needed to stabilize the budget. The CTA focuses on 1A and 1B. The CTA has committed $2.6 million (some reports are saying billion, but I believe it is million) to passing 1B. 1B guarantees some of the funding that has been cut from schools over the past years will be restored.
There is no doubt that some of these propositions will pass. However, the one that needs to pass - 1A - probably won’t pass. It is a shame, because without 1A spending will continue to increase at an unsustainable rate. Additionally, 1B-1F are the same shuffling of funds and borrowing that got California into the current budget mess. There are no real soultions, except in 1A. Even 1A is bad solution, but sometimes you are forced to choose between a bad solution and no solution at all.
That’s the position voters are being put in May 19.
Otherwise, we could all vote the current members of the Legislature out of office for not doing their jobs. That would be a good solution as well.
