With the Governor’s budget proposal, there are any number of tragedies, big and small.  Despite that fact, the Republicans continue to pretend that somehow tax cuts are some sort of serious proposal.  And no, sorry, no matter how many times you repeat “tax cuts pay for themselves”, that won’t make it true. In fact, a 2005 CBO Report showed that at most 28% of revenue lost to tax cuts returns to the federal budget through growth.)

But this budget, even with Brown’s “halfway solution,” would still net some draconian cuts.  For example, look at the suggested $750 million of cuts to the developmentally disabled:

Most areas of Brown’s budget proposal include specific reductions, but the plan lists only $216.5 million in detailed cuts in the Department of Developmental Services. The budget asks for another $533.5 million in unspecified reductions, with the department expected to come up with ideas by the end of March.

“I think we need to really look at the issue in a more full manner than just say, ‘We’re going to have an arbitrary number put into the cuts,'” Assemblyman Jim Beall, D-San Jose, said at a legislative hearing Thursday. “I don’t think people with developmental disabilities deserve that.”(SacBee)

There are two competing interests in how you make cuts.  First, if you tell departments how much the cut will be, and then tell them to make it, you are likely to get somewhat more knowledgeable cuts.  Of course, this may lead to the preservation of personnel over services.  However, if you give specific cuts, at least there is some idea of what’s going to happen.

But when you give over half a billion of unspecified cuts? Well, frankly it is too much to balance out even with the most severe of cuts.  Adding another $12 Billion of cuts would essentially require the closing of our prison system and higher education.  It simply isn’t a serious solution.  Adding additional tax cuts would put us on the path to Somliaization.

And as Skelton referenced yesterday, our initiative system is broken.  We are asking our voters to make micro decisions on issues that they just don’t understand. Perhaps that could be construed as elitist, but honestly, how many people really have the time to think about tax policy decisions?  Legislators take months of time to discuss and analyze the issue, but voters are supposed to do it in five minutes at the ballot box?

At the very least, Brown has given up the ghost of stupid budget tricks.  Perhaps the Republicans can join him in the real world as well?