Well this is Day 51 and the Governor has decided to lower his tax increase on the poor and middle class. Instead of collecting $6.6 billion for four years, he will collect $6 billion per year for only three years.
But, watch out for the loophole. Nothing stops the Governor NEXT year from adding a year, or another $6 billion per year (two cents) to your sale tax bill.
Compromise usually means going 50/50--The Dems wanted $6.7 billion in their latest budget, the GOP wanted zero. A compromise would be around $3 billion. Of course, the people need a tax cut not a tax increase. Any tax increase will cost jobs, so to those people the tax increase will be 100%.
In other news a judge hearing the case of the SEIU has determined that the hearing will be September 12--so, by default, State workers will get full pay for the month of August. If the budget is resolved before the end of September, then they will be sure to get full pay. Or if the judge rules as expected, they will get full pay regardless of the Governors "order".
Update: Democrat Assemblywoman Nicole Parra is still on the street in Sacto, with a closet for an office and another small office one block away from the Capitol and the other 119 legislators. The Democrats have also told her the three bills she still has pending are dead--they will not be heard.
Don't you love the Democrats, they believe in democracy until a representative truly tries to represent their district. because a Democrat would NOT agree to a tax increase, a deficit budget or increased spending without water in the budget bill, they politically kill her. Of course this makes it even harder to pass a bad budget, so that is a good thing.
Will we hit 60 days without a budget? What do you think?
Steve Frank: Why do Republicans REFUSE to specify precisely what line items in the budget need to be cut to total 15 billion? They run and hide.
State budget has gone from $45 billion to $103 billion in last twelve years...
....but budget has no effect on me....don't care if they never get one....
correction: the democrat and arnold want sale tax increase, but the republican do not want none of it. any sale tax increase may as well kiss the future budget good bye and more deficit because consumers will buy less. it's bad enough sale tax is 8.5%. evidently both democrat and arnold do not see the macroeconomic side when any type of tax will forgo consumer buying power. arnold should know better than side with the democrat even on temperary tax increase. when do a hungry dog stop lose its appetite, never. this goes along with democrat mentality; tax, tax and more tax increase. arnold needs to chop off democrat pork barrel spending; starts scaling back the freebies and none essential. how can you squeeze more juice out of dry lemon when the economy is so depress by the subprime and other financial short fall. time to cut back and tighten their belts; cut state employees, the state legislature and senate, especially governor salaries. sorry to say, arnold no matter how desparate this budget crisis gets, there are other matter that's consuming the state budget, the forest fires cost at nearly $250M and counting. yes, the health and welfare and prisons are the social disease now eating away the funds at present rate of 3/4 total state budget. the domestic partner and the newly same sex marriage programs will even bankrupt this state in two years. yes, arnold, you did once honor God but you have no guts to lead this once great bear state now overran by your liberal leadership cowdow with the rest of your democrat cronies. california will be a laughing stock along with other states cater to Obama philosophy. don't blame the republican on the state shortfall. it was way overdue by your and democrat incompetence. God bless america!
It's now Day 52 and Republicans STILL REFUSE to come up with a budget showing PRECISELY what they would cut and by how much to acheive 15 billion in savings.