by CalWatchdog Staff | January 4, 2011 8:45 am
Steven Greenhut: There’s no doubt that Gov.-elect Jerry Brown’s inaugural speech Monday hit the right notes, as the Bee’s Dan Walters put it. I was in the press gallery and found the talk to be funny and charming. He offered nothing specific, but every Californian should be glad to hear a governor offer an honest budget for a change. Nevertheless, Brown is setting the stage for massive tax increases — he’s very clear that he opposes such increases unless the voters approve them, with an emphasis on the latter words. That tax vote is coming soon. Unfortunately, Brown’s speech — despite the occasional humor and welcome reference to matters such as pension reform — was filled with troubling references that suggest that (no surprise) he doesn’t get the basic reason for the state’s problems.
Take this quotation from his speech:
“I have thought a lot about this and it strikes me that what we face together as Californians are not so much problems but rather conditions, life’s inherent difficulties. A problem can be solved or forgotten but a condition always remains. It remains to elicit the best from each of us and show us how we depend on one another and how we have to work together.”
It’s true that people will always fight over government budgets and spending priorities, but California’s situation — a $28 billion budget deficit, massive unfunded liabilities, crumbling infrastructure, high unemployment — are not just inherent difficulties. They are caused by bad public policy, by legislators who continuously expand government beyond our ability to pay for it. It is caused by politicians such as Brown who view government as the solution to problems, and who have given public sector unions too much power and money.
These aren’t conditions. Had California taken a more market-friendly path, the state would be dealing with far more manageable problems.
I was also struck by Brown’s emphasis on “loyalty.” I understand that he was trying to push Californians to embrace a cause bigger than their partisan loyalties, but in my experience this type of language is designed to reduce criticism of government policies. If, for instance, you are a harsh critic of your government then perhaps you are not loyal to your country or your state.
The coming weeks will be interesting as budget negotiations unfold. The biggest thing to watch: the impact of Prop. 25 on such negotiations.
California is entering uncharted territory. These really should be interesting times.
JAN. 4
Source URL: https://calwatchdog.com/2011/01/04/conditions-vs-problems/
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