Isn't this exactly what Die Gropenator promised NOT to do?
Californians, you may have participated in an historic event.
But you may have made yourselves history too.
Deal-Cutting Schwarzenegger Opts to Put Off the Pain
By Peter Nicholas
Times Staff Writer
May 14, 2004
SACRAMENTO — In crafting a budget at a time when the state faces whopping shortfalls, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faced a clear choice.
He could have tried to fix all the structural failings in the state budget now. That would have required a tax increase — breaking a key campaign promise — along with deep spending cuts that would have angered supporters of public schools, local government officials and recipients of social services. While he might have been able to force such a budget through, the effort would have been long, arduous and damaging to his credibility, political analysts said.
The alternative was to come up with a spending plan that stood a good chance of passing on time with minimal rancor. The governor hoped that would enhance a growing public perception that the paralysis in Sacramento was lifting and bolster public confidence that state government could resolve its problems.
Schwarzenegger chose the smoother road.
Under his revised budget, the gap between what the state spends and what it takes in may persist in future years. In fact, the deficit may be tougher to eliminate down the road because of some of the spending commitments Schwarzenegger is making now.
But he is betting that government reforms will produce savings and that the economy will pick up, boosting revenues to a level where the deficits can be wiped out with minimal pain. Moreover, the governor said that producing a budget that kept his major promises, reduced partisan acrimony and restored public confidence was a crucial first step toward confronting the state's stubborn problems.
