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January 8, 2008
State of the State
Dear FCL Supporter,
Moments ago, Gov. Schwarzenegger delivered his annual "State of the State Address" to both houses of the California Legislature.
The governor praised the heroic efforts and sacrifices of individuals and the public for "their devotion to the greater good in a time of crisis" in response to the brush fires that plagued California earlier this Fall. Gov. Schwarzenegger also paid homage to former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt for tackling the Great Depression by creating the WPA to give Americans jobs and rebuild the nation's infrastructure. "FDR didn't ignore the problems of the Depression because times were tough; he addressed those problems in big, visionary ways because times were tough."
Gov. Schwarzenegger then turned his attention the state's budget deficit, which is now estimated to be $14 billion, and resorted to partisan rhetoric, declaring that "we don't have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem." The governor said he will submit a budget that cuts spending across the board and does not raise taxes. While he acknowledged that many of the cuts will be difficult, "fiscal responsibility, like compassion," said the governor, "is a virtue, because it allows the necessary programs in the first place." The governor will also propose a constitutional amendment modeled after practices in Arkansas, which will require the state to set aside revenues in good years to fund services in bad years.
FCL believes that society, including government at every level, has a responsibility to provide all residents in need with appropriate human services. Proposing across the board spending cuts while ignoring revenues is hardly the visionary leadership of FDR. Rather, it is an attempt to avoid political controversy with Republicans in the Legislature, who, with one exception, have signed on to Grover Norquist's "no new taxes" pledge.
In the coming months, FCL will join with allies to demand a just budget -- not just a budget, that meets the needs of all Californians and invests in our state's future. We urge your support for this effort and will be calling on our supporters to draft letters to their State Representatives and to Governor Schwarzenegger.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Lindburg
Legislative Advocate
Friends Committee on Legislation
717 K St., Suite 500-B
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 443-3734
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