[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Robert Cruickshank

The best way to sum up the conservative Republican reaction to both the state's budget deficit and our economic crisis is "avoiding reality." From elected Republicans to their media outlets to their fanatic base, California's right-wing is finding itself having to become more and more extreme and divisive in avoiding the inevitable - higher taxes and more government spending as a solution to both our structural revenue shortfall and our worsening economic crisis.

And in the process, they're also having to rewrite history to avoid blame for those problems. Faced with widespread public outrage over the 10,000 layoff notices sent to teachers this week, among other concerns, Republicans have now decided to accuse Democrats of causing the crisis - even though it was Republican policies that created both the budget deficit AND the economic downturn.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Robert Cruickshank

If every Californian paid an extra $150 a year in vehicle license fees, $6.1 billion would be raised eliminating the proposed budget cuts to health care, parks, and education. If we closed the tax loopholes that LAO Elizabeth Hill identified - as Arnold kinda sorta agreed we should - we would raise $2.5 billion, over half of the $4.4 billion cuts proposed in Arnold's budget.

Or we could fire thousands of teachers. From today's Orange County Register:

“More than 1,590 teachers could lose their jobs.

“Class sizes in hundreds of classrooms might increase from 20 to 30 students.

“And one district may shutter a campus altogether.

“The county's 28 school districts are deep in efforts to develop plans to cut about $204 million, or 5 percent, from their operating budgets in the face of a mounting state budget crisis.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The election on Tuesday is of enormous importance to the future of the country and to California as well. We’ve learned all too well that policies in Washington, D.C., have an enormous impact on our state. Whether it’s the ability of California to adopt air pollution standards that are tougher than the federal ones, fighting global warming, health coverage legislation, or other issues our state legislators and governor are working on, there are hurdles set up in our nation’s capital that preempt us or make it difficult to act.

Witness the fact that through California Attorney General Jerry Brown we are suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency on global warming automobile standards, and if we are successful, a 19 other states will be able to follow our lead. Or, when it comes to health insurance proposals, there are thorny issues of federal preemption under the Employee Income and Security Act (ERISA).

And the War in Iraq, the economy, the collapse of the subprime market—virtually all the major issues decided and debated in Washington affect us as the largest state in the nation.

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Major Impact On People With Disabilities, Seniors, Poor