The American Mind

Before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about “rebranding” the GOP he should get California’s budget house in order:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to help close the state’s budget shortfall by borrowing $15 billion against the future profits of a modernized and expanded lottery is overly optimistic and could exacerbate the state’s financial problems, according to the Legislature’s chief budget analyst.

Nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Elizabeth G. Hill, whom both Republicans and Democrats look to for advice on fiscal issues, said the proposal assumes a boom in lottery earnings that is unlikely to materialize. The result, Hill says in a report released this morning, is a “strong likelihood” that the share of money schools receive from the lottery “would fall well short of their current levels — perhaps by $5 billion over the next 12 years combined.”

Like Washington Republcians the governor has given up on cutting spending to reduce the state budget deficit. His scheme involving borrowing money from lottery revenues also involves a possible tax hike. What a way to fix the GOP brand: “Vote for the Republicans; we tax and spend just like the Democrats.” Yeah, that will work.

Compare this to what Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner who told Wisconsin Republicans this past weekend to quit shifting around money like it’s a game of three-card monty:

The State budget repair bill which passed this week strips away the money to implement REAL ID in Wisconsin . Worse, last year’s budget hiked the drivers’ license fee by $10 to pay for REAL ID implementation. The budget repair bill steals that money to use for other spending, an idea that goes against the foundation of our core values.

All Republicans in the State Senate voted against this bill. Unfortunately, Speaker Huebsch decided to push it through the Assembly. And he did so in a manner which does not fix the problems of overtaxing, and replaces transportation fees with more state borrowing – exactly the same move which helped destroy the Republican brand. Everyone can see this is a political shell game that simply postpones the hard decisions.

Sometimes, leadership consists of saying “NO” to bad policies, rather than going along to get along. I know firsthand how difficult it is to go against the grain — I have even said “no” to our President. When we don’t compromise on Republican principles, Republicans win elections. If we act like RINOs, voters will see no difference between us and the Democrats.

Schwarzenegger would be better off focusing on California’s budget problems instead of playing political strategist.

“Legislative Analyst Says Schwarzenegger’s Budget Plan is Overly Optimistic”