Most Californians Don't Want Budget Cuts

[cashinmattress]

Shriver: Most Californians don't want budget cuts

First lady Maria Shriver: Most California residents don't want spending cuts or higher taxes

Californians seem to want it all, says first lady Maria Shriver. They oppose billions of dollars in cuts to address the state's massive budget deficit but are not willing to pay more for the services they enjoy.

The first lady, visiting Sacramento on Tuesday for the opening of an Abraham Lincoln exhibit at the California Museum, said people talk to her all the time about California's $24.3 billion budget shortfall and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed solutions.

Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts include eliminating health care for nearly 1 million poor children, increasing class sizes in public schools, slashing in-home services for the frail and closing more than 200 state parks.

"Don't close the parks, don't cut from education, don't cut from health care, don't cut from anything," said Shriver, amplifying what people tell her. "I say, 'We have a $25 billion deficit: What would you do?'"

She said nearly everyone replies that they don't want to pay higher taxes and don't have any of their own ideas about what parts of government to cut. Shriver said making deep cuts to education and other core programs is not what her husband envisioned when he ran for office in 2003, but he is embracing the challenge.

"It's not like Arnold came into this situation looking for a $25 billion deficit to cut. Nobody does," Shriver said. "People come in because they want to do good, and they want to grow a state and transform a state and help it grow."

Shriver said no one can judge until they have their own solution for solving California's budget mess.

"I'm not in his shoes and I don't walk this 24-7 and neither does pretty much anybody else," Shriver said. "I think people are all pretty much talking about the same thing -- trying to, you know, do the best they can in a very tough situation."

Substitute Britons for Californians and viola.

Watch and learn.

[Executive Sadman]

Theyre sick beasts, californians, like a plague of Locusts. They leech, leech, leech, then move on to theyre next victim

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11437650

[Guest sillybear2]

So basically they want everything but they don't want to foot the bill, so just like the UK but without the printing presses.

What happens when there's an energy crunch and California still wants everything but physically cannot do it.

[Errol]

Most California residents don't want spending cuts or higher taxes[/url]

Eh?

Printy printy.

[Tonkers]

So basically they want everything but they don't want to foot the bill, so just like the UK but without the printing presses.

What happens when there's an energy crunch and California still wants everything but physically cannot do it.

There is going to be one helluva big exodus

[cashinmattress]

So basically they want everything but they don't want to foot the bill, so just like the UK but without the printing presses.

What happens when there's an energy crunch and California still wants everything but physically cannot do it.

Devolution?

[Georgia O'Keeffe]

There is going to be one helluva big exodus

yep, i imagine there will be from California too

[Mixle]

Do you want higher taxes? No.

Do you want public sector cuts? No.

If you ask bad questions, you get bad answers.

Would you rather have a public cut of X, or pay a higher tax Y?

[Fudge]

People work and pay taxes to provide decent public services that they benefit from like health and education.

Whats difficult to understand about that ?

They don't work and pay taxes to subsidize banks and shore up corrupt system that exploits them.

If people dont recieve the public services they have taken for granted they will stop paying taxes.

Thats what the governments and banks are really worried about. Will the people still pay taxes, higher taxes even

when they get no public services in return?

[Horridbloke]

So basically they want everything but they don't want to foot the bill, so just like the UK but without the printing presses.

What happens when there's an energy crunch and California still wants everything but physically cannot do it.

Already happening. California's had some "interesting" power issues including blackouts over the last few years.

[bogbrush]

I think most people in Britain are a bit better than that, although when the axe falls there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth.