A Tuesday story on ABC's World News, which ignored soaring state spending, reflected frustration with California voters for the anticipated rejection of ballot initiatives to raise taxes as reporter Laura Marquez blamed the Golden State's budget deficit on an “unwillingness to raise taxes” stretching all the way back to 1978's Proposition 13. In fact, though personal income tax collections “dropped 14% last year,” a Tuesday Wall Street Journal article noted they “soared 70% from 2002 to 2007.”
In the story pegged to Tuesday's vote on a series of initiatives to raise or extend an income-tax surcharge, a big hike in the car tax and one point sales tax jump to 9 percent, Marquez fretted that “polls show five of six initiatives aimed at reducing the budget gap are likely to be voted down,” leading Schwarzenegger, Marquez relayed, to warn “the defeat of these measures will mean billions of dollars in cuts to social services and education, and will force thousands of layoffs from the state rolls.” From San Francisco, Marquez rued:
Coast to coast, state governments are swimming in red ink, overwhelmed by the tanking economy. Here in California, the problem is even worse because of its sheer size and an unwillingness to raise taxes. Thirty years ago, Californians passed Proposition 13, mandating an almost unachievable two-thirds vote by the legislature to raise taxes.
Viewers then heard from a UC-Berkeley professor who complained about the impediments to raising taxes: “California preferences for spending are we want lots of things, we want it all, but we’ve put in place a decision-making system that prevents us from raising the revenue to pay for that.”
Columnist George Will, a regular on ABC's own This Week, pointed out in a May 3 column what Marquez omitted -- that the state government has hardly been starving for money: “If, since 1990, state spending increases had been held to the inflation rate plus population growth, the state would have a $15 billion surplus instead of a $42 billion budget deficit.” In addition, in Arnold “Schwarzenegger's less than six years as Governor, per capita government spending, adjusted for inflation, has increased nearly 20 percent.”
The MRC's Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the video to provide this transcript of the story on the Tuesday, May 19 edition of ABC's World News:
CHARLES GIBSON: In California today, voters went to the polls for the twelfth time in just seven years to vote on proposals to make up a budget deficit that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has estimated could grow to $21 billion. The government has warned of dire consequences if the proposals fail, and it appears they will fail. Here's Laura Marquez.
LAURA MARQUEZ: If Californians once lived the epitome of the American dream, they now find themselves in the midst of a budget nightmare. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the legislature are looking to voters to fix it, and the voters are blaming lawmakers.
NOEL RAGSDALE, CALIFORNIA VOTER: They should, you know, take responsibility for their votes instead of dumping it off onto the voters.
MARQUEZ: Polls show five of six initiatives aimed at reducing the budget gap are likely to be voted down. The exception? One that denies raises to lawmakers in deficit years. The governor warns the defeat of these measures will mean billions of dollars in cuts to social services and education, and will force thousands of layoffs from the state rolls.
ELIZABETH LEWIS, TEACHER: I'm worried about, am I going to be able to pay my bills next year?
MARQUEZ: Coast to coast, state governments are swimming in red ink, overwhelmed by the tanking economy. Here in California, the problem is even worse because of its sheer size and an unwillingness to raise taxes. Thirty years ago, Californians passed Proposition 13, mandating an almost unachievable two-thirds vote by the legislature to raise taxes.
PROFESSOR JOHN ELLWOOD, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY: California preferences for spending are we want lots of things, we want it all, but we’ve put in place a decision-making system that prevents us from raising the revenue to pay for that.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER IN CLIP FROM TERMINATOR: I'll be back.
SCHWARZENEGGER SPEAKING AT A GRADUATION CEREMONY: I'll be back.
MARQUEZ: A system so entrenched it seems to have rendered the action hero turned governor powerless.
PHIL BRONSTEIN, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: What he brought to Sacramento was this power of celebrity. And I think he was counting on that to bend the molecules in the state house.
MARQUEZ: Even if voters were to pass the governor's slate of budget propositions, California will still be $15 billion in the hole. Laura Marquez, ABC News, San Francisco.
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
X
May 19, 2009 - 21:11 ET by serfer62Its a shame that they can't cut anything at all isn't it?
Raise taxes until when?
May 19, 2009 - 21:16 ET by sevenDo you think a spending addiction can be cured by raising taxes?
I have a hard time trying
May 19, 2009 - 21:58 ET by kgI have a hard time trying to comprehend how someone would want to pay more taxes to an irresponsible government who cannot control their own spending and corruption. The government then takes the hard earned tax money and gives it to their buddies to make them rich off of our sweat.
More than half of what the government spends could be cut with very few missing anything. This is nothing more than forced taxes so the government can spend money on crap the government shouldn't be involved with in the first place.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
The California Dream has
May 19, 2009 - 21:34 ET by bigtimerThe California Dream has now become a Nightmare..
It breaks my heart.
...and we still have the EPA Czar Browner going out there today giving kudos to Ca. with the control they have with the mileage standards nationally and all that jazz...
The country has gone completely mad.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
California Taxes
May 19, 2009 - 21:36 ET by PeterStoneHighest taxes in the USA
2nd worst school results.
Run by the state employees union.
PStone... Yep... ...and
May 19, 2009 - 21:50 ET by bigtimerPStone...
Yep...
...and to top it off Ca. used to be the No.1 in the Nation and worldwide in the educational system/standards.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Raising taxes kills economic
May 19, 2009 - 21:55 ET by robert108Raising taxes kills economic growth. Another inconvenient truth for the Dems. Economic problems in the free enterprise system are always caused by wasteful social spending and govt interference in markets.
Why?
May 19, 2009 - 22:01 ET by tcm22What I can't grasp is where the Democrats and their MSM allies get the notion that the solution to every problem is for government to take a bigger and bigger share of private wealth. It's like there's no conceivable upper limit to tax rates. Budget shortfall? Raise taxes! New program? Raise taxes! Newest manufactured problem? Raise taxes.
The intellectual dishonesty is just maddening.
Now we are doing the same
May 19, 2009 - 22:14 ET by brain trustNow we are doing the same thing on a national level except revenues are already headed down. This is a real recipe for disaster. Hm, who was president from 2007 to 2007 during that large increase in revenues.
Before we have a government that can supply us with everything we will have a government that can provide us with nothing.
I've quoted your post
May 19, 2009 - 22:18 ET by AtTheWaterCoolerfor Exposing Bias and Deception at ABC which is a proponderence of articles demonstrating thier bias.
30 years ago the voters in this state
May 19, 2009 - 22:19 ET by IamTinman30 years ago the voters in this state told their elected officials in no uncertain terms that they wanted fiscal responsibility from Sacramento. Prop 13 was overwhelmingly passed on the theory that if they couldn't get money from the taxpayers, they couldn't spend it since the California constitution requires an balanced budget.
Boy, were we wrong! The state just stole the money from the county coffers and continued spending like drunken sailors. Now that the economy has soured, they want us to shoulder an even higher burden when by any standard Californians have the highest tax burden in the country.
The state was gerrymandered into a hopeless democrat controlled mess and with a democrat legislature, incumbents easily control the legislative agenda. It's near impossible to fix and will take time but we will.
This states inhabitants aren't all granola people. Go 50 miles inland from the coast and with the exception of Sacramento you will find intelligent life!
An insult to drunken sailors
May 19, 2009 - 22:38 ET by richb313You sir are correct except on one point they did not spend like drunken sailors. I can tell you from personal experience that when Sailors get Drunk they stop spending when they run out of money and return to the ship. As a former drunken sailor I find the reference an insult to drunken sailors every where.
Right On!
May 20, 2009 - 10:58 ET by BlueCat57Right on! to both of the above comments.
ROFL about drunken sailors. My daughter's favorite song is "What do you do with a drunken sailor." So far we haven't had to explain the put him in the rack with the captain's daughter.
A few years ago California
May 19, 2009 - 22:20 ET by alamojbA few years ago California voters approved Prop 187, which was designed to kick the illegals off welfare. A treasonous Federal judge overthrew it and the State Goverrnment failed to take it threw the appeals process.
alamo... I remember it well,
May 19, 2009 - 22:57 ET by bigtimeralamo...
I remember it well, it still sickens, infuriates me...people wonder why some just quit bother voting...that are the patriots that have fought in the past.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
California has a long way to go.
May 19, 2009 - 22:41 ET by pbthinkerCalifornia has made it impossible to do business there. They make it impossible to own property there. They make it impossible to fight fires there. Then, they continue to vote for the political party that got them into this mess.
I'll believe that California has figured out what to do when they vote out the Democrats, not only in their state offices, but also in their national offices. They all suffer from the spend and regulate disease. Nationally, just to name a few, Diane Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman, need I go any further.
Ironically, now we have a President who, through the same policies the California legislation has put forth, wants the whole country to join California in bankruptcy. Many of the politicians pushing through this absurd legislation are from California.
Let's see if California figures it out. Somehow, as crazy as they've been in the past, I can see them voting in the same bunch of losers and watch their debt baloon. I just can't feel sorry for them, no matter what ABC thinks.
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.
Wow ABC does not care about the will of the people
May 19, 2009 - 22:42 ET by richb313Well at least ABC is upfront about it. They have said in so many words that the will of the people as expressed by thier votes does not matter. Talk about elitist BS. Once again they have shown thier true colors but is anyone awake enough to notice except the alert members of this site?
That occurred to me as
May 19, 2009 - 23:31 ET by maggieqpublicThat occurred to me as well, rich… perfect example of media elitism.
Do you think most Americans watching the ABC story will come to the conclusion that greedy Californians aren’t paying enough taxes to their government? I Don’t Think So.
Dictatorship
May 19, 2009 - 22:55 ET by nadadhimmiIn California, the vote of the people means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Just like the gay marriage votedown, liberal judges will steal and disenfranchise the votes of millions of majority voters. You see, these libs are sure THEY KNOW BETTER and will simply abrogate and ignore the vote of the people. Taxes will rise, regardless of the vote of the "little people". This is the very definition of a "DICTATORSHIP OF THE JUDICIARY". Remember, to a liberal, the Constitution is, by their definition, Unconstitutional.
This "election", will have
May 19, 2009 - 23:01 ET by nadadhimmiThis "election", will have about as much effect as an election in the Soviet Union in 1949. The "job" of the people is to shut the f#ck up and do what they are told by the "liberal elite". Do you understand now what it's like to live in a police state???
What I'd like to know
May 20, 2009 - 00:00 ET by RowaneWhat I'd like to know is why its people in other states who are going to be required to pay for Kalifornia's misdeeds. Its just not right to take the hard earned money from working men and women to pay off the debts of a lot of libtard experiments gone astray.
ABC regrets? Who the hell
May 20, 2009 - 01:08 ET by RogerCfromSDABC regrets? Who the hell cares?
The budget deficit is not the fault of the citizens. We've done our part: We PAID TAXES. It is the Democrat leadership, the anchor baby legislators, and the unions who have created this fiasco. Why in the hell is ABC blaming the citizens?
CUTS need to be made. NOT MORE TAXES. Government is what needs to be doing with less, not We the People.
Make English the official language and stop doing government business in three million foreign languages. You'll cut billions.
Cut funding to illegal aliens. The deficit will shrink by tens of billions. Tell unions to stop spending millions on political activism. They'll actually have money to service their members!
Common sense, people! And, Ahnold, give it up, already. Follow Specter's lead.
A nation cannot be free without a free, unbiased media. We are not free.
Dead on Roger!
May 20, 2009 - 01:47 ET by IamTinmanWe currently pay more than our share of taxes. The legislature has failed to balance the budget on time for many years now.
Since "Ahnold" was elected on a platform of fiscal integrity, the California government payroll has increased by 50,000 employees while businesses and wealthy Americans are leaving the state in droves.
With so many people being
May 20, 2009 - 07:47 ET by BruzillaWith so many people being layed off from their private sector jobs, it amazes me how these people think that anyone will shed a tear because government employees are getting layed off. Also, why is it that anytime the state looks to cut employees, all we hear about are teachers, cops, firefighters, healthcare workers, etc.? What about all the overpaid-underworked office people? The over-manned highway workers? The excessive beuracrats? The assistants to the assistants?
The power of celebrity
May 20, 2009 - 08:05 ET by karelingPHIL BRONSTEIN, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: What he brought to Sacramento was this power of celebrity. And I think he was counting on that to bend the molecules in the state house.
Sort of like Obama is counting on his?
Imagine if the liberal Cali
May 20, 2009 - 08:18 ET by eaglewingz08Imagine if the liberal Cali legislature didn't have Prop 13, it would have killed California long ago. However, the article doesn't address how is it that Cali's budget has grown so astronomically in thirty years since Prop 13, if tax raising has been such an impediment, or why, if there is such a groundswell against Prop 13, no proposition has ever been proposed or adopted by the people of California to repeal it?
Of course, for a reporter to ask those or similar questions would be for him/her to actually act as a non partisan non democrap koolaid drinking flack.
One can also notice the similarities in the leftwing media coverage of the anti proposition voters with how the leftwing media has been covering the tea party participants. The same condescension, anger, ridicule, etc. is evident in the coverage of both. Yet the leftwing media must feel that either it is portraying 'reality' (what the liberal reporter's and his/her friends' world view is) or that it's just an amazing coincidence that the same invective is being heaped on small government anti tax fiscally conservative folks.
Fees and Special Districts
May 20, 2009 - 10:53 ET by BlueCat57They don't raise taxes they charge fees and create special districts. Both of which are "voluntary" to be in or pay.
As a native Californian, I
May 20, 2009 - 09:27 ET by fitzfongAs a native Californian, I am so happy to rub that liar Schwarzenegger's face in this defeat. When economic times were good, he enabled the criminally irresponsible socialist legislature to raise spending as tax revenue grew...then they continued to spend at greater levels based on wild projections of continual economic growth. When the recession hit, the State was left with all the obligations Schwarzenegger ratified...yet now he doesn't have the funds to meet those obligations. But he's a coward, so he refused to stand up to the union thugs, the illegal alien lobby and the trial lawyers on behalf of the California taxpayers...instead, on their orders, he came back to the California taxpayers demanding tax increases to temporarily plug the budget deficit he created. Marinate in it, Arnold, you're now officially neutered. Resign. Now.
But this is also a great learning opportunity for California voters. Stop voting for bond propositions. Stop voting for mythical transportation projects in ballot measures. Stop voting for initiatives that "raise funds" for "education", "transportation", "climate change", "infrastructure", "insurance for all", "pre-school education". If Rob Reiner's fingerprints are within 500 miles of a ballot propostion, vote no.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
California
May 20, 2009 - 10:20 ET by jessieHjessieH Just like all polititians, they blame the people for their inept leadership.
I was there!
May 20, 2009 - 10:45 ET by BlueCat57The message of Prop 13 had NOTHING to do with taxes.
The message of Prop 13 was simple:
We want SMALLER government in California!!!
It was intended to restrict the growth of government by restricting taxes.
They way we attempted to achieve this was through limiting the taxing ability of government. Unfortunately the politicians and bureaucrats proved smarter and faster than the citizens.
What we ended up with is Mello-Roos (if I spelled that correctly) and thousands of other "fees." I no longer live in California (I miss my family, not the taxes) but seem to recall hearing about challenges to "fees." If a "fee" isn't voluntary then it is a TAX and should be restricted by Prop. 13.
Alas, the horse, cow, chicken and even the manure is out of the barn and it is too late to close the barn door.
I'm almost willing to send money to pay to keep California bureaucrats on the payroll since it is entirely possible that they will leave the state once they are laid off and spread like a disease throughout the rest of the nation.
How soon
May 20, 2009 - 19:45 ET by Joe CamelHow soon before the fault line puts that piece of landmass somewhere else that is not attached to the country? Float it back to Mexico, since it already is Mexico north anyway.
Raise taxes? Are they
May 21, 2009 - 13:22 ET by rbosqueRaise taxes? Are they A$$&%$ ???
Maybe they can come over and pay my taxes. We're not feeding a legislature that keeps spending more than they have.
I'm sick of this state government running our state into the ground.
I'm sick of paying for illegals.