Jerry Brown, the governor of Calfornia, has unveiled a dramatic budget proposal aimed at tackling the state's ballooning $25 billion deficit. Brown wants to cut spending across the board — including funding for welfare and health care programs, state parks, and public universities — while extending temporary tax hikes for five years. Brown said that the cuts, although "painful," are the only way to balance the state's budget. Will his plan be approved — and if so, could it work? (Watch a Fox Business discussion about Brown's cuts)
Read our lips, Gov. Brown. No new taxes: Brown's plan is "half right," says an editorial in the Orange Country Register. But his "half-baked" proposal to keep taxes high ought to be stopped in its tracks. Voters "overwhelmingly rejected" tax increases twice in the past two years, and aren't going to be convinced by his "false" promise that the revenue will go toward public schooling. "Any new taxes are entirely unacceptable."
"Brown's budget gets it half-right"
These cuts will kill California's future: "Hacking away" at California's education budget is a "mistake," says an editorial in the University of California Highlander. Brown's predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, largely shielded public education from budget cuts during his time in office, and Brown ought to do the same. Cutting education would be "both finally and socially disastrous for California's future."
"California must not resort to short-term fixes"
Both parties should get behind this bill: Brown's budget received "jeers from across the political spectrum," says an editorial in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Democrats were aghast at the "size and sweep of the cuts," while Republicans "cried foul" over tax hikes. But they should realize "the governor has no choice." This is the most "honest and sustainable" plan to come out of Sacramento in 10 years. Lawmakers must take it seriously.
"Honest state budget didn't deserve jeers."
If Brown stays honest, Californians will accept it: Brown has given Californians a "stark" message, says an editorial in the Los Angeles Times. "We're in trouble. We have to do something. It's going to hurt." This is a "sensible" proposal, but to persuade Californians to shoulder their share of the burden, Brown will have to spell out why each spending cut and each tax extension is necessary, and what the effects will be.
"A reality-based budget"
