Sep 11 2009
Illegal immigrants, wasting paper and last day of session news
This is the last day of the legislative session in California. Of course the legislators can, and do, waive the constitution and continue with their work past midnight. Since this is the first year of a two year session, they are able to do that. Which means, so long as there are enough votes to do it, the legislators can keep working. However, they cannot adjourn, because once they adjourn they cannot reconvene until the next legislative session. There is a lot of work for them to do today (and maybe early tomorrow).
Vetoes: The Governor has threatened to veto everything if water and prison reform, among other priorities, are not “dealt with.” So far, there has been no action on these issues. The question that the Legislature must answer, and that the people must deal with, is: Should legislation be passed to pass legislation and not knowing its full effects, or should legislation be put on hold until it is clear that the legislation is good legislation? This is a question that legislators should grapple with, but they do not. It is clear which side they take - simply to pass legislation. Otherwise, there would not be so many wastes of paper.
Speaking of wastes of paper, the Governor vetoed a bill that would declare a “Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran’s Day.” Since they have been home for a while, this makes sense. Some people are in an uproar over this. Which is why, according to a source inside the Governor’s Press Office, they are going to be issuing a declaration that declares a “Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran’s Day.” So all those people, including this blogger, who said the Governor was sticking to his promise to veto everything are wrong. He’s simply going around the veto process. Why stick by your statements? The Governor is known for this quote “Flip-flopping is highly overrated,” meaning he feels it is okay to flip-flop on issues, as this veto and then declaration show.
Other wastes of paper include all the bills being passed right now. Simply look at the Daily File for either house, pick a bill, and see what it does. Chances are - it does nothing. Even the bill about limiting health care recessions, which is heading to the Governor’s desk, is toothless if no one enforces it. But the money is being spent to print it up, make copies and distribute it.
Illegal immigrants are again in the forefront of the health care debate. A CBO estimate (Congressional Budget Office) said that if President Obama’s health care plan was passed as written, there could be $30 billion of spending on health care for illegal immigrants. However, California already covers illegal immigrants. The California Department of Health Care Services estimates 768,400 undocumented immigrants will receive coverage this fiscal year through Medi-Cal. The cost is approximately $1.2 billion. If they could gain access to federal care, maybe the money California spent on them in Medi-Cal would receive matching federal dollars, and there would be more money to spend (subject to Prop. 98 issues) on medical care - or not. The hard truth is that these people are here illegally, and if we want to stop illegal immigration, there has to be some consequences to being illegal. This would be one place to start.
Family values believers are saying that Duvall’s affairs are simply a sign that being a legislator can come with too many perks. This is true. A legislator gets all kinds of free tickets to events (that they have to disclose, but they still get to go), a car allowance, a gas card, and a personal staff. Some legislators treat these things with respect, and use them for work purposes. Whatever Duvall says, and we will get to that in a minute, family values groups are in an uproar over the fact that one of their own - someone who was suppsoed to represent family values - had an affair while in Sacramento.
“I want to make it clear that my decision to resign is in no way an admission that I had an affair or affairs,” Duvall wrote on his campaign Web site, duvallforassembly.com. “My offense was engaging in inappropriate story-telling and I regret my language and choice of words. The resulting media coverage was proving to be an unneeded distraction to my colleagues and I resigned in the hope that my decision would allow them to return to the business of the state.”
Really? I wonder if Duvall has heard his own comments. They clearly indicate an affair. Otherwise, he would not have mentioned sex with another woman who was not his wife. Now family values candidates are saying that if only someone who has integrity would win public office and behave in a virtueous manner, the public would have their faith restored in government.
In conclusion:
A new PPIC poll finds that only 23% of Californians trust their government to do what is right most of the time. Three out of five think the state government wastes their tax money. Family values candidates think this is going to be corrected if they respect family values while in office? It is going to take more than that. And watching the legislators go about their end of session business, and watching the Governor not do anything and make useless threats certainly does not help the situation.
