How Jerry Brown Scared California Straight

[itsrobert]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-25/jerry-brown-californias-grownup-governor

Jerry Brown is a happy man who rarely smiles. That’s because underneath all that energy and California optimism, there’s an old, practical Buddhist. This is all that can be done. We can tax the rich a tiny bit, if we do it right now and we show lots of ads of happy kids getting schoolbooks. We can build high-speed rail, if we slash aid to the poor. Brown dreams like Governor Moonbeam and governs like Babbitt. He lacks the charm and salesmanship of a politician. Or, as Warren Beatty, his friend since 1970, sums up: “I think what you’re saying is he’s not full of s- - -.”

A lot of people are saying that, now that he’s done what was long assumed impossible: balance the California budget. This is California, the Greece of America, the liberal state that wants to spend on everything and the libertarian state that won’t pay for anything. Californians are so committed to their faulty economic theory that they built laws to enshrine it: The legislature has to pass tax hikes by a two-thirds vote, and citizens can put new laws on the ballot as propositions. When Brown took office two years ago, the state had a $27 billion deficit. Standard & Poor’s (MHP) rated California’s credit the worst of the 50 states, and 24/7 Wall St. ranked it as the worst-run state in its 2011 and 2012 surveys.

BLOG: California Delays Collecting ‘Surreal’ Back Taxes
This year, California will have an $850 million budget surplus in the coming fiscal year. Unemployment, which peaked at 12.4 percent just before Brown took office, is 9.4 percent. S&P has upgraded its outlook on the state.

[calimary]

1. Jerry Brown is pretty doggone cool.

He was back in the day, and he's still got it.

It takes Democrats to clean up after even ONE reckless, feckless republi-CON (even a so-called "moderate" like der Gropenator. I still cherish the memory of the GOP CONvention in 2004 when Ahnold was a featured primetime speaker, and he was scheduled to follow the bush twins - otherwise known as Drunk and Disorderly with their snotty little speech about their repulsive little miscreant dad. The organizers made VERY sure that the girls were totally clear of the stage and out the door before they brought him up for his turn at the podium).

[NYC_SKP]

2. This is why I've voted for him all my life, even in his presidential run. nt

[NV Whino]

3. Governor Moonbeam rocks!

[JDPriestly]

4. Actually, the secret is that Californians didn't just elect a Democratic governor.

We also elected a heavily Democratic legislature and voted to approve new taxes not just on the rich but on ourselves.

This is what you get when Democrats don't think they have to compromise with Republicans.

You get good, sensible government.

If we want to get the country back on the right track, we need to elect a Democratic Congress and a Democratic Senate. It's the only thing that works.

Here is why:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Global+Capitalism+2013+richard+wolff&oq=Global+Capitalism+2013+richard+wolff&gs_l=youtube.3...17547.27670.0.27883.38.36.1.0.0.0.340.4905.13j14j5j3.35.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.7I-hMWKgDhg

That video is also posted here on DU. It's a (very long) lecture by Richard Wolff.

Worth every minute of your time.

By the way, just yesterday I heard a candidate for an office brag about he could work with Republicans. That is enough to in and of itself to prevent me from voting for him.

I saw how that worked when Schwarzenegger was our governor. We ended up nearly bankrupt. You cannot work with Republicans. You cannot compromise with them.

That is because their economic theories are simply wrong. They do not make sense. Again, their economic theories, their view of the economy is so totally that they will always, over and over, drive the country into an economic crisis.

There have been Republican presidents who did not agree with the current "conservative" economic views of today's Republicans. We experienced mild recessions with them just as we have with some Democrats. But we never experienced anything like the Great Depression or this Endless Recession we are now in. Nothing. Never.

Republican economic theories are wrong.

[Lordquinton]

8. Exactily

The main reason things are happening is we passed the right measure(one of several that were scattered in the ballot, one would help, several others would hurt.

The main reason things can finally happen is because a while back the repubs passed a bill that required a super-majority to get anything budget related done, and then they just sat down and refused to budge on anything if they didn't get 100% their way (just like in the US senate) we finally were able to elect a democratic super-majority so we could overcome that obstruction.

Jerry Brown is a good leader, but he has some bad ideas, and needs to come back to reality of the people.

[BlueToTheBone]

15. Yes. They stomped the pukes back into the background

where they belong and took care of business.

[BrotherIvan]

17. As a fellow Californian reading your post was a pleasure

I hope we can show the rest of the country that liberal policies work in the best interests of everyone so we can stop with all this Third Way nonsense

[JDPriestly]

24. I'm with you. Let's work for a solid Democratic government. We need it, especially now.

[BrotherIvan]

25. I have my fingers double-crossed for California single-payer

We can lead the way and show it works in our large economy. What a boon to residents and businesses that would be.

[JDPriestly]

28. Yes.

[Iliyah]

5. Yes things are

slowly turning around for us here.

[bluestate10]

6. So what's new? Republicans talk a fine story of how to run economies, democrats make economies

work. That dynamic has been in place since the time of Hoover and FDR. The problem is that democrats suck as explaining to Joe and June Voter why they should vote democrat if they care about their financial well being.

[mulsh]

7. "Californians are so committed to their faulty economic theory that they built laws to enshrine it"

The shrine the author refers to is Jarvis/Gann's Proposition 13, not hardly a liberal's idea of sound economic or governance theory. Brown opposed Prop 13 but when it was passed he carried out her duties as governor and enforced it.

His third term has been his best, so far, I wish he had been half as effective as mayor of my home town.

[SoCalDem]

11. Many of the original Prop 13-ers are dying off now

and as property gets new owners, at least the property will get re-assessed at more realistic values...

This was just the homeowners' version of rent-control like they have back east.

It was a testament to just how powerful the greediest generation's Gray Panthers were and how ineffectual their children (the Boomers) have been. It's amazing how a good middle-life and a secure old age can embolden one..

Boomers had a great childhood, but everything since has been an epic struggle for most. (a struggle most of us are losing)

[joanbarnes]

9. Think he could fix Illinois?

[Left Coast2020]

10. Now we ought to shove this in the republicans face.

Someone needs to show them this is how its done! An $850 million surplus? Incredible! So is that money going to be used to create more jobs? Sad we can't have a president like this. This theory of cooperating with the other side is utter BS. F-the other side!

[BrotherIvan]

18. There is building and roadwork everywhere I go

It used to annoy me, but now I drive by with a smile as I know that is putting people back to work.

[mindfulNJ]

12. I worked on his campaign in 92

This man should have been president.

[AverageMe]

16. I worked on his campaign in '76

If he entered one month earlier and if we won Ohio, the world and this nation would look very different and be much better off. Allard Lowenstein (leader of the dump Johnson movement in '68) was his his campaign manager and late at night he and the staff would talk about things that had to be done if we won. The ideas that were kicked around did not enter into the general political discussion until 40 years later. Gov Brown was way before his time, and would have made a great president.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

13. Get ready for the "no it won't be budgeted" response. I've seen it already

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/13/local/la-me-state-debt-20130114

"California's debt still a heavy cloud over state's future

Gov. Jerry Brown's new budget presented a plan to pay back nearly $28 billion owed, but various sources estimate the state's debt at hundreds of billions.

January 13, 2013|By Evan Halper and Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown proclaimed last week that California, which now has enough cash to pay its day-to-day bills, can no longer be described by naysayers as a "failed state."

But even though it appears to be free of the deficit that dogged the Capitol in recent years, the state is no model of financial health."

[Taverner]

21. Enron and Arnie screwed us pretty hard

And without reacharound, I might add

[KauaiK]

14. I remember when the media called him Governor Moonbeam

because he put up wind turbines waaaay back in in the 20th century.

[Sirveri]

23. They called him that because he wanted a dedicated communication satellite for 1st responders.

At the time people thought it absurd, now it's a ho hum proposal.

[kentuck]

19. This should be the model that Democrats talk about...

at every opportunity.

[Taverner]

20. President Jerry Brown

Our first Buddhist President....hmmmm

[raouldukelives]

29. First person I ever campaigned for in 92. Seems a lifetime ago in a mythical land. nt

[Taverner]

30. me too nt

[Tikki]

22. Honestly, we feel like we have so much to lose if we do not tend to caring for our State and it's...

diversity.
A beautiful Ocean runs along the whole Western border of our State...that picture, in itself, is sobering and
amazingly beautiful.



Tikki

[flamingdem]

26. Thank you Jerry Brown!!

Wonderful news, CA deserves you we've suffered long enough

[Hekate]

27. So glad he's governor again

Jerry Brown is good for California, and since I live here, I'm grateful.