Just another reason California's in the crapper: Darrell Steinberg

The amazing thing about California is not that we're swirling inexorably into the crapper but that we've managed to avoid it for so long with clowns like this running the show. The only good thing you can say about Californian's Democratic leader pro-tem of the Senate Darrell Steinberg is that he will soon be termed out. This us it. Finito. He'll have to find another public teat to suckle. After all, he has milked our state for the past 13 years so next year he'll become just another illustrious footnote to our vainglorious history.

(WTF am I thinking?)

So today I'm adding Mr. Steinberg to California's 'A**Holes on Parade'. I don't know if he will take over drum major duties from Tom Ammiano, who joined the parade a few days ago, but Darrell should be right up there with the other clowns and jackasses at the very least.  

Over the years I've chronicled some of Steinberg's more extraordinary dumbassities - and there has been no shortage. The only thing that has kept him from gracing more of my rants is that since 2008 he has lead (?) our state Senate so has not had time to introduce too much legislation. However as one of the so-called members of the 'Gang of Five', which included the Senate Majority & Minority Leaders, the Assembly Majority & Minority Leaders & the Gov, Steinberg's spineless cowering to his union handlers over the years has been the stuff of legend. And trust me when I say given Californian's craven politicians, it takes quite an effort to become a legend. 

Two years ago Arnie actually kicked Steinberg & then Assembly leader Punkin Head Bass, out of the protracted budget negotiations telling them they could return if either of them actually grew a set of their own, or they could simply send in the union bosses who were encamped down the hall with whom Steinberg & Bass had to confer before each decision. No, I'm really not making that up. 

So you may be aware that California is another $26+ billion in the tank on this years budget again and our new/old Governor Jerry Brown has been trying to prod our legislators into putting a new tax measure on the June ballot to raise our taxes even higher than they already are to bail him out of the hole they've dug. But in order to do that, he needs a 2/3 majority of the legislature to approve putting this tax measure on the ballot and that means he needs two Republicans in the Senate and 2 in the Assembly to vote with the lock-step Democrats. 

Ain't happening.

Moonbeam has been touring the state trying to convince the mindless masses that they really do want a tax increase or there will be all kinds of dire consequences. Yet in spite of his best efforts, the latest poll still shows some 61% of our population opposes a tax increase. So you might think - hey, the Republicans are actually representing the will of nearly 2/3 of the people in the state by opposing putting new taxes on the ballot. And you would be correct.

But Darrell, ubiquitous diplomat that he is, came out today with this most generous pronouncement, that which landed him in the parade. Darrell has proposed that since Republicans won't vote for tax increases (even though they are representing the will of nearly 2/3 of our citizens), to Darrell that means they must not want of care about the services our government provides so when it comes time to make the necessary cuts to actually try to balance our budget, those cuts should predominantly come from Republican Districts. Yep - that's what he said. 

Nothing about cutting committees or commissions or task forces at the state level, which have bloated double in the past decade. Nothing about reining in the unfunded pension liabilities of the public union members, the bloated education budget which spends more per student than any other state while keeping us 48th in achievement, nothing about cutting the prison guards benefits (more on that when Moonbeam joins the parade tomorrow) which spends as much as 5 times more per inmate what most other states spend including paying for sex change operations for prisoners. No, none of that was on the table.

Instead, Darrell would close parks and reduce law enforcement and cut fire protection and cut teachers in Republican Districts because those pesky Republicans won't vote for more tax increases. Did I mention that 61% of our citizens agree with the Republicans? I thought I had.

Anyway, please join me in welcoming Darrell Steinberg to the parade. He is eminently deserving and he is in good company. I can hardly wait to see what cushy state job Jerry finds for him next year when his tenure in the legislature ends. But I have no doubt he will be richly rewarded and that I'll continue to pay his salary for the rest of his career. My lucky day.

Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.