by Randy Bayne
x-posted at The Bayne of Blog
In a desperate move to force Democrats to accept other draconian cuts, GOP leadership in the state legislature has threatened to slash $400 million from schools as part of the budget deadlock that will soon enter it’s fourth week. A move that will go nowhere and only serves to further delay a budget agreement.
Education groups are already mobilizing to block any proposed cuts. The California School Employees Association and California Teachers Association have already begun asking members to call their legislators, particularly Republicans, to express their extreme dismay at cuts that will hurt school children and force severe cuts in spending.
Many school districts have already adopted budgets for the coming school year based on assurances that education would not be cut. Cuts in education now would force districts to dip into precious reserve funds. Education leaders say the proposed cuts would “wipe out a good chunk” of their discretionary spending.
Republicans are asking for draconian cuts in other areas of at least $2 billion, and the proposed education cuts may be a ploy to get Democrats to move away from their opposition to these cuts to social services by forcing them to make a choice between cutting social services or cutting education.
The two leaders of Republicans in the legislature refuse to stand by their plan to cut education. In order to avoid answering questions and defending the move, “Assembly Republican leader Michael Villines of Clovis and Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman of Irvine left through a back door after two hours of budget negotiations with Democrats Tuesday evening,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
Republicans aren’t even on the same page as their own governor. The current plan being offered by Democrats is similar to the one crafted by Governor Schwarzenegger. Because of the similarities, it was thought early on that the budget process would be completed on time. That bubble was burst when Villines and Ackerman demanded unspecified cuts to social programs. Assembly Speaker Nuñez has been critical of members of the governor’s own party for not supporting his plan. Six Republican votes are required to reach the 2/3 threshold for passing a budget.
This whole episode, the Republican determination to cut funding for social programs and education, reveals just how soulless Republicans, as a party, are. They have no qualms about cutting services for the less fortunate and truly needy families. No qualms about cutting off educational opportunity for school children. The Democrats, on the other hand, have been extremely reserved about proposing tax increases on the wealthiest Californians. So much for Republican rhetoric about family values and bi-partisanship.
The amazing thing in all this is that six Republicans can’t be found who will break with their party leadership and do the right thing by supporting children, schools, families, working Californians, and the poor. Shame on you.