Legislators Fiddle While California Burns
Posted: Monday, July 07, 2008
by Missing Link
There is apparently a law that the California legislature must pass a budget by the 15th of June and that the Governor must sign a budget by July 1. Yet each year the legislature misses this deadline effectively violating the state constitution, where I come from that means breaking the law. How are the citizens of the state of California supposed to interpret this? Should we all protest tomorrow by driving with one hand on a cell phone? Should we even consider passing a constitutional amendment about same sex marriage if flaunting the constitution is accepted? Why should same sex couples comply with such a constitutional amendment if our lawmakers set such a bad example?
Self responds thusly, you ain't ignerant, they jus' know that there ain't nothin' forcin' them to do there job. Taint no constable that's gonna enforce them laws on ‘em no ways.
So they all took off on the 4th of July instead of worrying about violating the constitution and letting down the state citizenry and working at fixing the hole in the budget. They needed time to rest their weary pointing fingers and to rub salve on their bruised diggin' in heels. It's important that our legislators are well-rested don't you think? It's hard work doing nothing all day when there's so much to be done. It's not easy avoiding work. A person can work up a good sweat dodging the issues.
So I think it is about time for Governator Arnold to use the constitution to force the legislature to pass a budget. He has the right as commander in chief of the state militia (California Constitution: Article 5: Section 7) to "call it (the militia) forth to execute the law". It's about time don't you think?
It seems to me that we are in the eye of the hurricane in this budget mess. It's calm because they're all behind closed doors. Nobody wants to make budget cuts because someone's lobbyist friend who regularly charters a yacht in San Diego harbor to raise them money is going to get angry. Maybe they won't get that $30k fund raising cruise with bacon-wrapped scallops and an open bar.
So Republicans need to force a showdown where they look like they got something out of conceding a raise in taxes. It is better to make the public angry than to make the lobbyists withhold their checkbooks. Democrats are even more cynical because they'll raise taxes looking you right in the eye and tell you it's for a good cause. They won't tell you it's for the cause that their lobbyist wanted funding for. Oh, and by the way, we gave the Republicans some of the tax money for their lobbies too just to get a yes vote.
Am I cynical? You bet. I've seen a little of the inside of politics and believe me it's all about the money. I held a position in a government agency once. I had a state government mandate that I could not comply with because certain things were yet to be accomplished at the state level. Yet still each year I was sent a dunning letter by the state department responsible for monitoring my compliance with said regulation (which I could not comply with because there was no state process that allowed me to do so). A co-worker knew a millionaire personally and he made a call and suddenly this man was in my office with his personal lobbyist. He said to me, "Whatever you need done, this man will do it for you." And the millionaire didn't lie, within a week the local veteran assemblyman was in my office with his staff to discuss the legislation that he needed to carry on my behalf. Within three months we had "Urgency Legislation" that resulted in our finally being able to comply with the state regulation. I never got another dunning letter.
It was not magic. The millionaire was a very influential man, that meaning he gave large donations to politicians and he gathered other millionaires to soirées at his home to collect even more money for the political party. What he wanted legislatively, he got.
This is not an isolated example in my career. The egregiously public greasing of palms is the reason that the government is so handcuffed and unable to make cuts when times are bad. The Republicans for all their bluff and bluster about not raising taxes are no less supplicating to the lobbyists and are no better the Democrats in this regard, and no worse.
The low level of interest and activity in politics of the average citizen is the reason that taxes will be raised to resolve the budget shortfall. I hear no mandate among the people to cut services, even "the people" count on their lobbies to save their right to suckle at the public teat.
The most basic rule I learned in political science at University is that the people of any country have the government they deserve. In our capitalistic society and considering our consumer-based lifestyle, is it any wonder that the lifeblood of politics is money and not ideas; or that, the principle activity of our leaders is lobbying and not leadership?
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