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CBP: Ten New Year’s Resolutions for a Fiscally Responsible California

Submitted by Tjadendevries on Sun, 01/10/2010 - 3:19pm

I think #7 is the most important


Ten New Year’s Resolutions for a Fiscally Responsible California

    I’m a big believer in New Year’s resolutions. I have one list for home, one for work, and a separate list for my favorite hobby. In honor of the new decade, here’s another list: one aimed at setting the state on a fiscally responsible path for the year ahead.

      1. Don’t vote for any ballot measure that creates an unfunded obligation on the state budget or “locks in” more of the budget. Constitutional provisions that limit the use of certain tax revenues or impose spending requirements on the budget without providing the resources to fulfill those obligations exacerbate California’s fiscal problems. These provisions range from dedication of sales taxes collected on gasoline to transportation to the “Three Strikes” law establishing minimum sentencing requirements.

      2. Don’t vote for bonds that impose an obligation on the General Fund where there’s a good alternative. The Legislature missed a great opportunity when it placed a water bond on the ballot that will further burden the General Fund instead of asking water users to pay the cost of system improvements. State Treasurer Bill Lockyer recently reported that debt service costs will exceed 10 percent of General Fund spending in 2012-13. That’s more than the state spends on all of Higher Education or Corrections and Rehabilitation. Debt service costs have more than tripled as a share of the budget since the mid-1980s.

      3. If you vote for an unfunded bond or budget “lock in,” don’t complain about the state’s budget problems. This one should be self-explanatory. If you help create the problem, don’t be surprised when it is hard to find a solution.

      4. Don’t promise to cut taxes and balance the budget. I have the cover of an old New Yorker magazine on the wall of my office. It is a take-off of Dante’s Inferno. At the center ring of hell? Politicians that promise to cut taxes and balance the budget. It’s a good reminder that the impossible is, well, impossible.

      [...]

      7. Have compassion for the less fortunate among us and those who continue to suffer from a weak economy. Double-digit unemployment rates and the prospects of a jobless recovery will increase demands on state and local safety nets. Recent budget cuts have asked families and service providers to do more with fewer resources in the face of rising demands. Budgets are about values and choices and we remain convinced that compassion is a value Californians share.

      [...]

http://californiabudgetbites.org/2010/01/04/ten-new-year%E2%80%99s-resolutions-for-a-fiscally-responsible-california/