Those of you who are not an old fogey like me probably have no knowledge of Jerry Brown (yes, the same one as the current governor) the governor of California a couple of decades ago (he had more hair back then, not to mention Linda Rondstadt as his GF). His administration was so wacky, that he rightfully earned the moniker 'Governor Moonbeam'. It was largely under his governorship that the Golden State gained a reputation as the 'hippie' state and the 'left coast'.
Viewing his current antics regarding the state budget deficit, I hope you have gained an understanding of what Californians went through the last this goofball ran our state. The deficit is $25B. He is going to split it in half: 12 will be raised by cuts (largely smoke and mirrors, which is one of the few things Moonbeam is good at), and the rest by a special election in June to raise taxes. If this tax increase is voted down (and it will be), he will: close state parks, lay off prison guards and CHP officers, close DMV offices, and shut down the school lunch program. He will then cry alligator tears, pointing to conservatives (who have virtually no power or influence in the Golden State) saying: 'see, see, what those nasty, evil Republicans have done?'
Course, these draconian measures will only raise a puny portion of the deficit. Note carefully that he is not laying off interior bureaucrats (many of whom earn 6 figures) or cutting their pay, nor demanding wage concesssions from teachers' unions. Naturally, these things he will not touch: they are the main cause of the deficit, and they are also the source of Moonbeam's power. In the end, he will insist: the only solution is raising your taxes, whether you like it or not. Now, the importance of Prop 13 comes into play.
Have no fear: if this gambit fails, and it probably will, he has many more such rabbits up his sleeve, some of which will cause to you laugh so hard that you will fall out of your chair. Stay tuned for further merriment.
No comments:
Post a Comment