In the L.A. Times, Andrew Malcolm writes, “Of the day’s six fiscal propositions…all went down — and hard”, which helps to explain why Gov. Schwarzenegger was on the other side of the country today:
Well, he may have had a grand day in D.C. schmoozing with the Democratic president and exchanging warm words of mutual praise about car exhausts, but Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger got a different kind of message tonight from California voters.
Not that many came out to vote in local races and on six statewide propositions, as we reported earlier Tuesday. But the ones who did were resoundingly defeating the governor’s budget proposals, as opinion polls had predicted.
Which is probably why the Budgetnator was far away in Washington during the day, instead of being photographed voting locally and then sitting on a hotel room couch watching results roll in during a Sacramento photo op.
Of the day’s six fiscal propositions — the rainy day fund, education funding, lottery modernization, children’s services funding and temporary reallocation of mental health funding — all went down — and hard. The results were roughly 60-40 against.
The only proposition to sail through was one preventing pay increases to top elected state officials during years of budget deficits. That one was being approved about 76-23. Take that! (That doesn’t affect Arnold, of course, because he’s never taken a state salary.)
Click over for links to additional analysis.
Michelle Malkin adds, “California did itself in. It deserves to suffer the consequences.”
In the meantime, Andrew Malcolm concludes:
California is again coming first in this resistance to more taxes, threats and budget deficit games, then next year’s midterm national elections, historically bad news for the party controlling the White House anyway, might mean some hard slogging for congressional Democrats who’re so quickly and overwhelmingly approving the current deficit spending.
Indeed. Let’s hope for some change in 2010.
(Via Tammy Bruce on Twitter.)
Update: But of course: “ABC Regrets California’s ‘Unwillingness to Raise Taxes.’”
More: The Rhetorican rounds up further legacy media reaction to yesterday’s election; needless to say, the media that has never seen a tax hike it didn’t approve, of is not happy. Futher thoughts on the California legacy media’s reaction here.
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8 Comments
1. Calif Voters Order Govt Pay Cuts; No New Taxes, Gov Starts Slashing Budget, Services « Peace and Freedom Promises:[...] http://pajamasmedia.com/eddriscoll/20 09/05/20/california-voters-dont-just -say-no-they-say-no-way/ Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)47 of 50 States Have Budget Shortfalls Cumulatively Totalling $300 BillionObama Special Friends, Union, Pressuring California on BudgetSchwarzenegger Set GiveawayElection Unlikely to Ease California’s Budget Crisis [...]
May 20, 2009 - 2:04 am 2. frank martin:We could offer some help. Perhaps we should have a mass web based ‘brainstorming’ session where we offer suggestions on how to cut the budget.
My cuts -
1. Cut all State Board appointments and end most state boards
2. Privatize Caltrans
3. Privatize the DMV
4. Outsource or privatize all State IT systems.
5. Dismantle CARB
6. Stop all subsidized car programs and end ‘per diem’ pay for State workers and elected officials.
7. Cut legislative staff by 50%
8. New constitutional amendment to make state legislature part time.
9. New constitutional amendment to cease all government payrolls when there is no budget.
10. Sell more oil leases. NOW!
There, that should just about do it. The next trick is to try to come up with a set of incentives to get businesses to stay in California or cause them to move back. Im thinking that corporate tax rates need to drop to near zero for that to happen.
May 20, 2009 - 8:18 am 3. David Thomson:Rush Limbaugh unfortunately is probably right. Barack Obama will now find an excuse to give money to California. It is allegedly too big to fail. Also, we should not forget the damage that can be caused by “progressive” judges—who often decide that the will of the voters contradicts the U.S. Constitution.
May 20, 2009 - 10:39 am 4. Ed Driscoll » Hey, Remember Arnold Was Considered A Populist?:[...] in the halcyon mists of 2003. These days, “Schwarzenegger knocks Calif. voters” for yesterday’s clear rejection of Sacramento’s normal cycle of tax and spend, rinse and repeat. Filed under: Bobos In [...]
May 20, 2009 - 11:58 am 5. ZZMike:OK, now we can start by firing all the teachers, and putting the administrators to work on 5-year plans. Then we’ll put all the policemen and firemen “on call”, so we only need to pay them for time spent responding to calls.
Then we can get the commissions – like the California Coastal Commission – to work thinking up great new ways to follow Oregon’s brave path forward into a green civilization, uncluttered by the trappings of technology.
May 20, 2009 - 12:11 pm 6. PS:I think Limbaugh has it wrong. This isn’t an awakening tea-party type protest, but indicative of an attidude that is permeating the country.
As an Ex-Californian, I look on the unraveling of that fair state with sadness mixed with an uncomfortable amount of schadenfreude. Considering that Obama won the state so easily, it’s clear that those who voted No on these ballot initiatives can be most easily divided into three groups:
– the traditional anti-tax, anti-big government conservatives
– Obama supporters who were smitten with him and the hopeandchange mantra but, in their own version of a Saul/Damascus revelation are having second thoughts about the size and scope of government (charitably, I’d like to think this group is large, but it probably isn’t)
– Obama supporters who want all the goodies of government but have no desire to have to pay for any of it themselves.
It’s this latter group that has gotten the State into the mess it’s in. Anyone who voted for Obama but Nyet on these ballot initiatives got some ’splainin’ to do. Who do they think will bail out the profligate ways of the state? Do they expect the citizens of Kansas or Delaware to support your habit? What programs or policies should be cut from the state budget? All we’re hearing from are the traditional ant-tax folks, and the pro-big government-types who voted yes. Well, I don’t really care about the arguments these two groups have because I can cite them without even hearing from them. It’s the flippers I’m curious about.
May 20, 2009 - 1:59 pm 7. Micha Elyi:Lessee, that was a special off-year election in May, a very atypical time for elections in the Golden State, and the scribbler class is *surprised* that turnout was low?
What surprises me is that for a predictably super-low turnout election, the margin by which the tax hiking and fiddling measures were pounded. Where was the turnout for the unions? The special interests should’a hit this one outta the park. Yet they whiffed it.
When the teachers union and their government worker compadres can’t beat the home schoolers at the polls, that’s signals something.
May 20, 2009 - 6:20 pm 8. Occam's Beard:Frank, you should run for office in California. Seriously. I’d vote for you, and so would many others. Maybe not liberals, but Americans would.
May 20, 2009 - 7:22 pmSorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.