By John W. Lillpop
Despite the threat of being dismissed as right wing extremists by left wing extremists, California voters staged a massive "tea party" at the polls on Tuesday to protest proposals by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Legislature (mostly Democrats) to raise taxes without derailing runaway spending.
As reported, in part, at the link below:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/19/MN8317LBQS.DTL&tsp=1
"California voters on Tuesday soundly rejected a package of ballot measures that would have reduced the state's projected budget deficit of $21.3 billion to something slightly less overwhelming: $15.4 billion
"The defeat of the measures means that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Legislature will have to consider deeper cuts to education, public safety, and health and human services, officials have said.
"Propositions 1A through 1E - which would have changed the state's budgeting system, ensured money to schools in future years and generated billions of dollars of revenue for the state's general fund - fell well behind in early returns and never recovered.
"The only measure that voters approved was Proposition 1F, which will freeze salaries of top state officials including lawmakers and the governor during tough budget years."
This bitter pill should be enough to convince Schwarzenegger along with a couple of RINOs and all Democrats in the Assembly that the people of California are fed up with incompetent politicians who continue to spend taxpayer money recklessly and foolishly.
Proposition 1F, the lone measure that passed, will freeze politicians salaries in years in which a budget deficit exists. This is a good thing and should have been done years ago.
President Obama and his gang of spend and tax socialists in the U.S. Congress would do well to take note of the special election in California.
There IS a message here that could swell into a national movement against mindless spending and higher taxes, and culminate with a rousing defeat of Democrats in the 2010 mid-term elections.
Yes, of course, Schwarzenegger is a Republican. Yet it is widely recognized that the governor is not really a conservative, one of the hazards of sleeping with a Kennedy clan member.
Keep your tea bags at the ready, conservatives. This worm is staring to turn in favor of common sense and fiscal restraint!
