California Budget Gridlock: When are the people going to rise up?

The mess California finds itself in is every Californian's concern. And the answer to get out of this $14 Billion deficit requires regular people to get involved in ways we haven't ever before. In California and only 1 or 2 other States, it requires a 2/3 vote to approve the State budget. That is 67% of the elected officials voting in favor of the budget. We have been without a budget for many, many months and we now risk being bankrupt as a State. The legislature is within 3 votes needed to pass the budget, but Republicans, on ideological grounds, are opposing it. Does this sound familiar?

So what can we do as citizens of the State? Well, first we could all support a budget change to a needed 50% plus one majority to pass the budget. But that law can't get passed because the Republican minority wouldn't vote for it, as their power would be gone because California is predominantly Democratic and a Progressive State.

One thing not explored is what powers Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger really has to end this crisis. He has called a State of Emergency and the Legislature is meeting to try to resolve the problem but no one is budging on their positions and the stalemate continues. Reporters this morning are saying that small groups of non-government people are working behind the scenes to come up with some solutions. This is very good news if true.

But one thing that needs consideration is some local pressure from citizens in the communities where the 3 Republican votes are needed, and those vested interests need to abandon their ideological views for more pragmatic ones. Many people will lose their jobs and people need to care about all Californians plight with this budget mess. I for one, would be willing to pay more California taxes, as most Californians also would. For those Republicans who are tired of paying California taxes, leave the State and go find another home where you can have such a beautiful place to live but don't have to pay taxes. It's called Nevada! But no one really lives there.

Pakistan institutes a State of Emergency. It could happen here too!

News item: Pakistan's Musharraf declares emergency. As I saw this on Yahoo News, I wondered why as there didn't appear to be any violence in the streets unless I missed something in the past day or two. It didn't seem justified. Here's a shortened version of the article on Pakistan:

Pakistan's Musharraf declares emergency
By MATTHEW PENNINGTON, Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday ahead of a crucial Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn his recent election win and amid rising Islamic militant violence.

Eight Supreme Court judges immediately rejected the emergency, which suspended the current constitution. The government blocked transmissions of private news channels in several cities and telephone services in the capital, Islamabad, were cut.

"The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order," a newscaster on state Pakistan TV said, adding that Musharraf, who took power in 1999 coup, would address the nation later Saturday.

This came as a total surprise to me and caught many off guard. Consider the following, this could happen here while we are sleeping or while our "consciousness" is asleep. The Bush/Cheney Administration has "secret" plans to install a new government should a state of emergency ever be needed for reasons I will leave to your imagination. Musharraf has learned from Bush well. He sees what we citizens allow in our, so called, democracy and beats Bush to the punch.

We have no moral ground to ask Musharraf to do something we wouldn't do, to stand down. Remember as Senator Joe Biden said in the last debate which now appears prophetic, Paraphrasing the good Senator, he said that he was worried more about Pakistan than about Iran. Iran is trying to make 2 Kilo's of enriched nuclear material, Pakistan has made thousands upon thousand of Kilo's of this material and they sit atop Missiles pointed at India and Israel. That's what we should keep our eye on, said Senator Biden. But no, President Bush and Vice President Cheney are still rattling their saber at Iran instead of worrying about Nuclear weapons falling into the hands of Al-Qaeda. We took our eye of the war on terrorists for this war in Iraq and we may yet pay the ultimate price as a nation for doing so.