Assembly Budget Advice To Congress

Katy Grimes: In what should have been an thoroughly embarrassing move on Monday, California’s Assembly voted and passed a resolution to tell Congress to raise the national debt ceiling.

Really. Even with my writer’s imagination, I could not make this up.

AJR 14, authored by Democratic Assemblyman Bill Monning (Carmel) “would urge the Congress of the United States to raise the national debt ceiling without delay in order to continue the current economic recovery and preserve the fiscal integrity of the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs and other important public necessities,” the resolution’s summary reads.

Oh the irony.

The California Legislature has historically been unable to produce a legitimate state budget. This year is no different. It was announced today that the “on time” budget passed and signed into law on June 30 is already $350 million out of balance because tax revenues coming in are lower than “projected.”

Most people are wondering who made these budget “projections?” Charles Ponzi? Bernie Madoff?

And my checking account couldn’t possibly be overdrawn because I still have checks left.

Republican Assemblyman Chris Norby (Fullerton) observed the irony that California is constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget, but asked Congress to not pass a balanced budget.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Hesperia) said he found a certain irony being lectured by the same people who pushed the trillion dollar stimulus package on the country.

“We need to look at the consequences for the people of California,” was the only justification Monning offered for pushing such a ridiculous resolution.

For the record, the Assembly members who voted to pass it were Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bonnie Lowenthal, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Campos, Carter, Cedillo, Charles Calderon, Davis, Dickinson, Eng, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Gatto, Gordon, Hall, Hayashi, Hill, Hueso, Huffman, John A. Pérez, Lara, Ma, Monning, Pan, Portantino, Roger Hernández, Skinner, Swanson, Torres, V. Manuel Pérez, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada.

All Democrats.

Voting against AJR 14 were Achadjian, Beth Gaines, Bill Berryhill, Conway, Cook, Donnelly, Fletcher, Garrick, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Harkey, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Miller, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Silva, Smyth, Valadao, Wagner.

All Republicans.

Another reason for a part-time Legislature.

JULY 12, 2011