Just four years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wagged his finger at the Republican National Convention and declared, "To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: 'Don't be economic girlie men!' "
say: Here's your pink tutu, dude.
Schwarzenegger finally bowed to reality last week and proposed nearly $11 billion in tax and fee increases to help cover a projected budget shortfall of more than $24 billion by 2010.
Why? The economy has gone down the toilet and, according to a statement from the governor's office, "the state faces the very real possibility of running out of the necessary cash to meet all its obligations."
My only question to Schwarzenegger is: What took you so long?
Hey, I don't like paying taxes -- who does? And I don't like that our state government, like all bureaucracies, wastes a lot of money. But let me tell you what I do like.
I like firefighters, paramedics and police officers who respond quickly when there's trouble. I like bridges that aren't falling into the water and roads that aren't deteriorating around us.
I like schools where students get the education they need to compete and excel in a fast-moving world. I like hospitals and clinics where patients get the care they require. I like prisons that can house inmates in a humane manner.
And I like having the vision and wherewithal to invest in game-changing technologies such as stem cell research and high-speed trains.
Do we have all these things? Not even close.
But they'll be even more out of reach if we fail to accept that, as Californians, we have a profound sense of entitlement, and the things we expect aren't cheap.
"We have wants that exceed our willingness to pay for them at the state level," agreed Steve Levy, director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.
He said Schwarzenegger was correct to seek higher taxes as state revenue plunges, but the governor's timing couldn't be worse. The way it should work, Levy said, is that lawmakers should spend money during economic downturns to keep the state running, and should then recoup that money during good times.
"We forget to do that," Levy said. "We don't raise taxes when times are good."
As California and the nation tumble down the rabbit hole of recession, Schwarzenegger is proposing a 1.5-percentage-point increase in the state sales tax for three years. That would bring the statewide rate to 8.75% and Los Angeles' levy to a whopping 10.25% (including Measure R's half-cent sales tax for transportation projects).
