The State Senate met up until the midnight deadline to pass the three-bill package that would have delayed the state issuing IOUs starting Thursday, but Senate Republicans withheld their support to kill the proposal.
As a result, about $3 billion in education cuts are lost. The Senate and the Assembly are scheduled to meet again Wednesday morning.
Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, noted after the Senate’s unsuccessful session that State Controller John Chiang said he wouldn’t begin issuing IOUs until Thursday. Steinberg says he thinks that gives the Senate one more day to try.
Duh.
Did anyone really think that they would?
As a backer of the Small Government Concept, I am curious to see how California would function with the state government shut down for a few days. The trouble with having the Republicans compromise with the Democrats is that compromise seems to equate to tax increases. Most of you have probably noticed the emptying of our freeways this year. People have already fled the high cost of living in the L.A. Basin, more than a million by my estimate. Even more Californians will move away if taxes are increased. The Republicans are publicly ridiculed for being the Party Of No, but plenty of voters are fed up with politicians refusing to say, “No” to spending year after year. Thus, saying, “No,” is the correct policy.