Sunroom Desk

Assemblywoman Noreen Evans’ (D-Santa Rosa) Budget Blog has received a number of comments criticizing the current democratically-controlled legislature’s approach to the state’s fiscal crisis, and offering alternative suggestions.

Evans, recently blasted by KFIAM 640’s John and Ken for her comment that “living within our means is meaningless”, must not read any of them. Her entries, including today’s, reflect an entrenched, entitled approach to expanding state revenues to meet “moral obligations”.

Here is what she wrote today about Governor Schwarznegger’s latest proposals (which do reflect the comments section of Evans’ blog):

In addition, the governor is holding the state hostage. As part of a budget agreement, he has submitted a list of new demands – sweeping policy changes – which could have been submitted with one of any of his four May Revision budget proposals. Now, he wants to reduce what the state contributes in pensions for new hires, change state retiree health care, scale back eligibility for people in the welfare-to-work program, create rules to root out fraud in-home services, and change portions of Medi-Cal.

While I am not averse to discussing these issues, none of them are simple subjects with simple solutions. The governor can’t lose focus on the real problem. His new demands don’t solve the immediate cash crisis. We have 30 hours until California faces financial ruin.

If Evans and her colleagues are “not averse to discussing these issues,” why have they not seriously addressed them in the legislature over the past few months? Polling and voting results make it clear Californians want to see the state reduce demands on taxpayers to pay for public sector wages/benefits (including legislators’ expenses) and social services prone to fraud and abuse.

Check out Carol Platt Liebau’s commentary today on How Politicians Bankrupted California. Liebau challenges the rising chorus of media and political voices calling for an end to Proposition 13 and the two-thirds majority requirement for California tax increases. She also takes a big swing at Evans’ recent rhetoric on budget issues.