The annual budget process in Sacramento is a perennial embarrassment. Rampant government spending and inefficient monitoring of how funds are spent have contributed to our enormous chronic deficit. Gimmicks and bond measures provide short-term fixes that mortgage our state's future and ultimately tax and burden the economy even further.
California needs drastic cuts in bureaucracy as well as more efficiency and accountability is needed at all levels of government. I firmly believe in limiting the size and intrusiveness of government so people are free to work, innovate, and enjoy the blessings of liberty. Fiscal restraint, rather than ever-increasing tax-and-spend policies advocated by an entrenched bureaucracy, cynical politicians, and special interests represented by fat-cat lobbyists, will be my approach.
In order to close the irresponsible gap that has grown in recent years, the Governor’s current budget plan threatens to harm our public schools, community colleges, and universities. Alternative proposals, such as the one put forth by the Roadmap to Protect Classrooms and Taxpayers, would make sure that we balance our budget without resorting to devastating education cuts. We must avoid the uncertainty of these trigger cuts – without relying on job-killing taxes – and implement a pay-as-we-go regimen in Sacramento.