California's budget deficit: a perfect opportunity to make fundamental changes
Guest opinion
By Tony Strickland Candidate for state Senate

Tony Strickland GOP candidate for state Senate

More than ever, these tough economic times require our state leaders to reform how California balances its checkbook. We started out 2008 facing a $16billion budget deficit.

The majority, the most liberal in the Legislature, believes the answer to solving this deficiency is to eliminate tax relief for families and businesses, while at the same time raising taxes across the board. That's the wrong answer and we deserve better. We deserve genuine reform that will fix dependency to overspend, resolve the structural deficit and eliminate the waste, fraud and abuse in the spending plan. I'm an optimistic person and truly believe that this deficit has presented us an opportunity to examine the budget process and to begin prioritizing funding based on California's goals and the method by which that takes place. Rather than tell the special interests "no," it's clear that the majority has created a crisis situation that gives rise for the need to raise taxes. And for those not in lockstep with tax increases, expect to be called anti-education, anti-public safety and anti-environment. Politicizing our budget mess, and perpetuating the blame and shame game is not the solution. Perhaps in these lean times, it would be more prudent to examine the effects of cuts in spending for nonessential services so all the state can meet its priority without taking more money from California families.

With a general budget of more than $100 billion, California doesn't have a revenue problem; it truly has a spending problem. It's frustrating when we're asking working Californians, of all economic and social backgrounds, to pitch in, that we continue state funding for benefits to illegal immigration. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, amnesty for illegal immigration costs Californians $10.5 billion annually, more than 10 percent of the state's overall budget. This is because built into the budget is financing for illegal immigrants to have housing, food, education, healthcare and other basic needs at no cost to them. If legislators would eliminate these enticements to break the law, the state would be threefourths of the way toward erasing the current deficit.

Prioritization of what's most important to California is a step toward fixing the broken budget process. Education for children, reduction of dependence on foreign oil through development of renewable technologies and increasing reliability of electricity while reducing environmental impacts- - these are the issues that are vital to California's future. California is the nation's leader in innovation and technology with a budget bigger than most countries in the world. Although we're facing economic budget pressures due to our deficit, we will only restore our economic engine by reducing our tax burden- - not increasing it.

Our state budget deficit is an opportunity to examine the budget process to eradicate waste, remove incentives for illegality and direct revenue toward areas that need it most.

To paraphrase President Ronald Reagan, it's time to reduce the California budget and leave the family budget alone.

Strickland is running for the state Senate 19th district seat that will be vacated by Tom McClintock, who's leaving office in compliance with term limits. The election will be in November.