California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he must slash aid to poor children and the elderly, shutter state parks, shrink school funding and release 22,000 inmates early to plug a $14 billion deficit.

The governor proposed a $141 billion budget that cuts expenditures on every state program by 10 percent for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The spending plan, which doesn't include tax increases, is down from this year's $145 billion budget. He said he would halt early repayment of $12 billion in deficit bonds sold in 2004 and propose selling an additional $3 billion of the debt to help bridge the current gap.

``It would be wrong to raise taxes on people to cover Sacramento's overspending,'' Schwarzenegger, 60, told reporters in Sacramento. ``We have to control the budget because right now the budget is controlling us.''

Schwarzenegger invoked never-before-used emergency powers that would force lawmakers in the most populous U.S. state to pare $3 billion from the current budget. The Legislature has 45 days to deal with the shortfall. Should lawmakers fail to find a solution in that time, they would be barred from doing any other legislative work or adjourning. Source Bloomberg.com.

First the Governornator backs numerous bond issues putting the State tens of billions of dollars in debt, then he signs ridiculously high budgets into law, then he makes deals with Indian Casino Tribes where they control how much they will pay us and now he says oop's we're out of money so we need to cut the social spending that he approved in previous years. Leave it to Californians to elect a governor like Schwarzenegger.

By the way I'm a Republican but I'd rather vote for anyone rather than Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

By:
Darren Winslow
California Law - Legal Information