At first, I was dismayed at the outcome of the recent California election with a Democratic sweep of the major offices. On reflection I think that is a good thing. Faced with huge budget deficits and massive unemployment solutions must come from an all-Democrat ruling group.
The signs aren’t promising, however. Californians continue to slumber on and ignore the huge problem of a looming fiscal reality. For example, the Financial Times recently published this item:
“Across the country radical solutions have been shot down by powerful public sector unions. For example, a referendum in San Francisco that would have raised public sector employee contributions was defeated this month. By 2013 that city will be spending as much on pension contributions as its police and fire departments and main public hospital combined, and it has set aside no cash at all for retiree health care promises.”
In other words liberal San Franciscans refused to allow economic reality to interfere with their sense of limitless entitlements for all, especially public employee unions.
Meg Whitman charged that Jerry Brown’s gubernatorial campaign was bought and paid for by these very same unions. It will be interesting to see how the geriatric Moonbeam will face up to his union supporters on retirement issues. The retread governor has pledged no new taxes without voter approval. With the anti-tax sentiment so prevalent today that equates to balancing the budget by cutting spending. Whoops! That would defy the ultra liberal sentiment of entitlements, income redistribution, and chasing environmental fantasies without regard to cost.
Will the Democrats who control every segment of California government allow the pressure of the huge state deficit to trump their costly liberal priorities? It will be an interesting next few years in the already tarnished Golden State.
