Gov. Schwarzenegger Learns From Mayor Sanders

Gov. Schwarzenegger Learns From Mayor Sanders

Gov. Schwarzenegger learned a big lesson from San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders in December when the city of San Diego decided that cost of $259,500 for campfires on the beach was breaking the city’s $3.2 billion budget and were physically removing the concrete firepits. Someone magnanimously stepped up and paid for the overpriced maintenance cost with an anonymous donation. Another light went on inside Swarzenegger’s head (the space is becoming quite illuminated). He saw that if the government removes something that the people really want from the government, a donation will preserve the service but enable the item to be removed from the budget and help balance it. Since he is not supposed to increase taxes without a 2/3 vote from the legislature and the fee scam is drawing to much fire, he has a new plan without raising taxes. Every Californian will select a state service they don’t want to lose on their annual income tax form. They will then graciously give a mandatory charitable donation to the state based upon what they used to make. The plan won’t work if based upon what people make now with the recession and with the unemployment rate so high, because those on unemployment might figure that they don’t have to donate. Mandatory donations will finally find a way to balance the state budget without further raising taxes. The only big problem to be dealt with is what to do with a state department that receives no donations. They couldn’t possibly cut it. If California has less departments than some other state, it would make California look bad in comparison.

©2009 Eric Stamets