Jerry Brown urges 'prudence of Joseph' on future spending
By David Siders, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee
November 7, 2012
Gov. Jerry Brown said today that he will not use an expected Democratic supermajority in the California Legislature to raise taxes further than were raised by passage of his ballot initiative Tuesday, urging "the prudence of Joseph" on spending in the next few years.
"We have to make sure over the next few years that we pay our bills, we invest in the right programs, but we don't go on any spending binges," the Democratic governor said at a news conference at the Capitol.
Now why do I feel like I've heard that before?
Ah, yes: Democrats should "keep their powder dry." We shouldn't expend our political influence, because you never know when we might really, really need it. How dare Democrats entertain the thought of using their voter-approved official station to do real and lasting good? Perish the thought!
Pre-emptive surrender seems to be a bit of a theme:
Impeachment is off the table.
- Nancy Pelosi, 2006
Sock away that
dry powder!
Democrats secured just 25 votes for the filibuster, far short of the 41 they needed to block the nomination as demanded by liberal interest groups who warn that Alito threatens abortion and civil rights.
Look at all that
dry powder!
It [the public option] was taken off the table as a result of the understanding that people had with the hospital association, with the insurance (AHIP), and others.
- Tom Daschle, 2010
Behold the vast tracts of
dry powder!*
Surely we'll have occasion to use it before it goes stale.
:: ::
California voters simultaneously passed major tax Propositions 30 and 39 and elected a Democratic 2/3 supermajority in both the state Senate and Assembly. Now that there can be no excuse of Republican obstructionism, I know I'm not alone among Californians who expect the state's Democratic legislators to finally close the broken revenue/budget circle in a way that makes this great state a more just, fair, free, and sustainable place to call home.
Instead, Gov. Brown is sticking to his 2010 pledge not to raise taxes other than through a direct vote of the electorate. But did the electorate not just vote his party into power in even greater numbers? Is not one of California's main drivers of dysfunction that it has too much "direct democracy" and not enough representative governance? Are all those Democratic legislators to pretend they don't have powers that they plainly do?
All that campaigning effort this year by Democratic activists across the state, and now we're going to leave state social services and even the most basic functions of government in an emaciated condition. Never mind the economic lessons of the Great Depression either. Don't you know, it's a different world now? Instead, we'll just muddle through this grinding recession and strive for the lofty goal of not letting things get too much worse. Such an inspired and inspiring way forward!
Of course, the state is not allowed to deficit-spend, and increases in the wrong kinds of taxes could in fact retard the economy. But, taken as a whole (and we should all be in this together, no?), the state is plenty wealthy, and there are ways to enact taxes equitably and productively. Perhaps the most obvious new revenue stream would be an oil extraction tax: at present, there is none in California. Oil companies can extract natural resources drawn from the earth, resources that are rightfully owned by the population collectively and that will not be replenished, without paying us mere human beings a dime of the profits.
How about we at least do away with the anti-democratic 2/3 rule? But then there would be even less of an excuse for not righting the ship of state.
Not that I'm using it here in the same way that its progenitor might, but as the maxim goes:
Power unused is power abused.
- Willie Brown
:: ::
* Really, do click on that link. It's a Daily Kos classic.