President Barack Obama proposes to freeze spending on discretionary budget items. Does California fall into that category as a “discretionary item”? No sooner had Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislative leaders returned from a Washington fundraising trip hoping to convince the president and congress to send more money our way than the president says there is no more.
This freeze idea is one that has been suggested to deal with California’s budget crisis in the past. Freeze the budget to the dollars that come in and reduce spending across the board accordingly. Perhaps, with the president’s example this approach will resurface in the Golden State as the governor and legislature try to figure out how to handle the current $20-billion deficit.
The clock is ticking on the special session called for closing the deficit hole and nary a word of how it will be accomplished.
Another item the president raised yesterday should also be an example for Sacramento. He told Diane Sawyer on ABC’s World News: "I can guarantee that the worst thing we could do would be to raise taxes when the economy is still this weak."
Good advice but destined to fall on deaf ears in the state legislature. Talk of raising revenue is already picking up in volume.
Maybe the “prince” will endorse the president’s philosophy if he becomes governor. Capitol Alert reported that “self-described” prince Frederic von Anhalt, husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, was unveiling a campaign billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles announcing his run for governor. I guess with the squabbling between Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien the “Tonight Show” wasn’t available for gubernatorial announcements this time.
The man who made his announcement on that show nearly seven years ago told a press club audience in Sacramento that he was not ready to make an endorsement for governor yet so the prince will have to wait.
However, some folks saw a subtle, kind-of endorsement from Arnold in Maureen Dowd’s Saturday column in the New York Times.
Discussing the all but announced gubernatorial candidate, Jerry Brown, Dowd wrote:
Arnold freely talks about his admiration for Jerry Brown. Would he be upset if the Republicans lost and Brown succeeded him?
“No,” he said, taking a final puff (of his cigar). “I think the best person should win, whatever party that is.”
Given the governor’s current poll numbers, Brown won’t be posting the article on his website any time soon.