The Glade 4.0

Reagan famously said that Republicans believe everyday is the 4th of July and the Democrats believe everyday is April 15th. An oversimplification to be sure, but that sentiment was not far from the minds of the Massachusetts voters. Already laboring under a bad state imposed health care system, in spectacular fashion, they rejected ObamaCare and elected Scott Brown to a “people’s seat.”

6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a5f9c2c3970c-600wi

In California, that lesson apparently went unnoticed for California Democrats. Less than 48 hours after the dust settled from the Brown triumph, California Democrats voted for a State imposed “universal” health care plan. In other words, a state run health care system that would bar private insurance.

Keep in mind that California is already amidst a chronic and prolonged budget crisis brought on by runaway spending and exorbitant taxing. Perennially listed among the worst states in our Union to do business, California features 10%+ income taxes and the highest regulatory burden around. So imposing are the costs to business in California, despite its ports and natural resources, Nevada and its desert is #1 in the Country in new business development.

As Congressman Tom McClintock famously says, only government policy could convince people and business to relocate from lush California to the barren deserts of Nevada. The practical result of those anti-job polices is that California now has a revenue problem. Just 3 years ago revenues were in the $125 billion dollar range. Now they are in the $85+ billion dollar range. In other words, government has created a revenue problem by killing off jobs and, without those jobs, there are less taxpayers, less income tax and less sales tax.

Rather than make California job friendly again – and thereby increase government revenues through sales taxes and new income taxes from new jobs – California Democrats offer nothing but tax hikes and even more regulation. And now this.

The estimated cost of the Democrats California Health Care bill is over $210 billion dollars a year! Nearly 250% more than the existing state revenues. But wait – there is more – or less depending on how you think about it. The Democrats don’t even have a funding mechanism in place to pay for their bill. Instead, they want to create a committee (itself costing $1 to $2 million) to come up with a funding mechanism. Of course, that means a government committee to devise a tax scheme to pay for government bureaucracy.

When this bill was considered before, the Democrats claimed that they would raise billions upon billions of dollars thorough new taxes and fees. However, the “non-partisan” Legislative Analyst’s Office, predicted that the new fees and taxes would result in added deficits of over $40 billion per year, i.e. over 40% of the current budget.

In truth, the deficits would be far worse because there is not $200 billion or $100 billion or even $25 billion more to collect from California tax payers. They are already over taxed and over regulated -which is why so many have left the state, or are unemployed, and the government has a revenue problem today.

But don’t tell the Democrats in Sacramento that. They are going to govern us whether we like it or not – at least until November that is and California may have its own 4th of July.

Meg Whitman will be horrible for the State...

I gotta say, a lot of people here are really **** stupid.

Except Michael, Aethien and I... and anyone else on the board that lives here.

Looking to switch careers, thinking of punching your stupid face for a living.

How does that pay?

But it does bring up the question of kicking Screeling's ***, and the other implications of that act.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The California Senate approved creating a government-run health care system for the nation's most populous state on Thursday, ignoring a veto threat from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Supporters said it is time for state legislatures to take up the debate as the Obama Administration's national health care proposal falters in Congress.

"If it's not to be done at the national level, let us take the lead," said state Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego.

The move in California comes after Massachusetts voters changed the calculus in Congress by electing a Republican to the Senate who opposes the pending plan.

Democrats are the majority in both houses of the California Legislature. The 40-member state Senate passed the single-payer plan on a 22-14 vote, sending it to the Assembly. One Democrat voted against the measure.

Schwarzenegger promised to veto the proposal, as he has two similar plans that previously reached his desk. Spokeswoman Rachel Arrezola cited the state's massive budget cuts and looming $20 billion deficit in arguing the state cannot afford to shift to a single-payer health care system.

"Any elected official who thinks it's a good idea to strap the state with tens of billions of dollars from a government-run health care system is clearly not in touch with what voters need and deserve," Arrezola said.

The proposal by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, authorizes $1 million to establish a commission that would decide how to pay for the system. The funding plan would ultimately have to be approved by voters.

Leno argued the state-run plan would replace the $200 billion Californians already pay for their health care while eliminating insurance companies' share. He previously said the system could use existing state and federal money and a payroll tax, coupled with increased efficiencies from a government-run system.

"We are spending $200 billion currently," Leno said. "It is the same $200 billion used in a more efficient, cost-effective fashion."

Republicans derided the timing of the vote, saying Democrats are ignoring the lesson in Massachusetts at their political peril.

"This plan is to the left and radical of what couldn't get out of Washington," said Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said Republicans refused to support even a $14.7 billion health care reform bill that Schwarzenegger, a Republican, negotiated with Democratic leaders two years ago.

"Not a single Republican vote—so what are you for?" asked Steinberg, a Democrat from Sacramento who usually strikes a conciliatory bipartisan tone. "The demagoguery needs to be answered and addressed."

Schwarzenegger's proposal actually was undone by Democrat Don Perata, Steinberg's predecessor in the Senate, when he ordered a financial review that found the plan would be billions of dollars out of balance within a few years.