Well...should I send it?

I don't know. Supposedly it's my own state senator who is holding up the budget process at this moment. I've been urged to write him, but I don't know whether to complain or to congratulate him. Btw, for the record, I'm not thrilled with the federal stimulus package, either. I think the current version on the table of the CA budget AND the federal stimulus package have both earned the status of NEs at this point.

NE = necessary evil

Anyway. Not yet sent:



Please Pass the Budget Proposal

Dear Senator,

For the record, I despise the budget proposal. I do not believe the poor and the sick, already struggling literally to survive in the current economic climate, should have been hit by our Governor's cessation of payment of Medicare Part B insurance premiums (having the probably unintended consequence on some of us of potentially threatening our Part D prescription coverage.) I believe this and other targeting of the disabled is unconscionable. We should be able to balance a budget without literally threatening American lives.

I also believe that small businesses desperately need a viable way to obtain health care at a reasonable cost, since there are many who refrain from entrepreneurship due to health care concerns and this is a drag on our economy. I also, for selfish reasons, would really like someone to look at and fix the plight of people like myself who are disabled and overwhelmed by an inability to attempt to get out of poverty due to serious work disincentives, some of which are federal but some of which are state-based. It seems there is never any way to address these and other problems constituents have to report, since California is of late always drowning in budget woes.


This budget contains cuts, taxes (including regressive taxes), increased fees (including regressive fees), and even more borrowing at a time when the last thing our economy needs is anything which will slow it down. I am absolutely appalled at the size of the projected budget deficit and I think that all of us need and deserve a through, detailed, and accurate explanation as to the source of the massive $41 billion of red ink, an amount nowhere close to what any other state is facing.

However, I am very concerned about the costs to our state from the delay in passing a budget, and that those costs may be escalating day by day. Although I am either not privy to or simply haven't uncovered detailed information on those costs, I am wondering if the interest we are paying on our bond debt has been affected by the lowering of our credit rating to rock bottom of all the states during the budget impasse. I did read that we are at this point actually being denied credit. I also am concerned about the cost of lawsuits the state may initiate or have to defend regarding the chaos, past and future, surrounding payment of state workers at this time. Lastly, I am very concerned as to what the issuance of IOUs to workers might do to the already fragile state economy. I'm not sure how well struggling businesses will do if their customers try to pay them with IOUs or stop purchasing goods and services as a result of the IOUs.

Senator, I am not at all unsympathetic to your requests that legislators not be paid for any days in which the budget is late, although I am concerned that this might be yet another barrier the non-rich have to face if they wish to run for state office. However, if it proves to be a negotiating stumbling block, I would respectfully beg you to drop your request for an open primary system for our state to be included in the budget at this time, since the fiscal situation looks to be something of an emergency and we are all probably going to live with this terrible budget as an alternative to no budget.

It is my hope that once this emergency is dealt with that our legislature immediately begin working on what should best be done so that the next and future budgets are not such a disaster for California.

with thanks,
etc.