LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
1/14/04
Schwarzenegger does bait-switch
During his campaign for governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger
claimed he had a secret plan to solve the budget crisis by cutting waste
that no one else had ever found.
It reminded me of Richard Nixon's supposed secret plan
to end the Vietnam War, but I hoped he had better intentions.
As the News-Press reported so well on Sunday, we now see
it was a classic bait-and-switch tactic. He found no waste to cut.
Instead, he proposed budget cuts for seniors, school children and
especially the disabled. Ironically, many of these cuts will cost the
state more in the long run.
Then, he made the budget more indebted by $4 billion
with a vehicle license fee cut that almost entirely goes to owners of
expensive new SUVs and other luxury vehicles. Private motor vehicles are
subsidized by over $30 billion a year in California and this cut
compounds this unfairness by giving the biggest subsidy to the
wealthiest vehicle owners.
Then he wants to saddle future taxpayers with a $15
billion bond debt to pay for his giveaway.
If a business did this sort of bait and switch, they'd
be prosecuted for fraud. Vote "no" on any bond to subsidize these unfair
and irresponsible tax and budget cuts. The budget should be balanced
honestly and Mr. Schwarzenegger should be dealt with the same as any
other bait-and-switch huckster.
Robert Bernstein, Goleta
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