| Arnold got to talking about vetoing the Legislature's budget plan, and it immediately becomes clear what is going on here: The Shock Doctrine. The Republicans, including Governor Schwarzenegger, are using the budget disaster to destroy labor and environmental gains. At this point they don't even try to hide it: they are going after CEQA, going after labor contracts, and going after the generations old experience of public investment in infrastructure.
First, from the Governor:
Well, read through it. You see, that it is one thing, when you say economic recovery package. But then read through it. It actually doesn't do anything and it makes it more difficult, actually, to do certain projects. And we will give you a briefing on the details -- Will Kempton can take you through the infrastructure package and all of those kind of things. They have not at all addressed the CEQA. They have not at all addressed the public-private partnerships. They have not addressed at all that we can go and -- as a matter of fact, they made it tough, that we can lay off people. They even said that we have to ask labor if we can have the furloughs that we recommended.
This is why I called it yesterday "Legislating Under Duress", the Governor and the Republicans have a gun to the Democrats' head in the budget disaster. The thing is that not only does the GOP think that the Democrats will eventually blink, but going over the brink wouldn't be that big of a deal. They get to slash and burn through labor and forget about the government. It is good to be the Green Governor isn't it?
Speaker Bass calls this what it is, Russian roulette with our future. After all the gun isn't really on the politicians of California. Sure, they'll get some political blowback, but the gun is pointing squarely at the people of California. The Governor claims to negotiate, then takes his marbles home with him. From the Speaker:
I am frankly surprised how willing Governor Schwarzenegger is to push California over a cliff when he clearly is not fully aware of what the bills we passed today do. The governor said we didn't do economic stimulus. We did $3 billion worth of bond acceleration to get job-creating infrastructure projects moving for transportation, drought relief, park restoration and green technologies. He said we didn't address CEQA-- we expedited CEQA for transportation projects and surplus property and we eased restrictions for hospital construction. All these actions will also help create jobs. He said we didn't address public private partnerships. We expanded public private partnerships - despite opposition from labor.
This is a stick-up, an attempt to drive us back into the third world of economic inequity, class warfare, and a grim future. Say goodbye to Pat Brown's California, say hello to Kurt Russell's. |
